Over the last 24 hours on Mount Shasta, winds have been light, temperatures have been above 40°F peaking at 58°F, and snow has settled about an inch. The height of snow at the Old Ski Bowl is 20.7 inches (53 cm).
October and early November precipitation brought a solid base of snow to Mount Shasta. Even with warmer temperatures, that base still lingers above treeline. On Tuesday, snow depth was 14 in (35 cm) at 8,000 ft and 32 in (80 cm) at 9,000 ft.
Snow surfaces are variable. Expect areas of wind textured snow above treeline. Slide-for-life conditions exist up high. Be leery of hidden obstacles if snow becomes soft. There are plenty of visible obstacles as well.
Climbers should be prepared for falling rock.
Climbers and skiers will find mostly continuous snow just beyond the saddle of Green Butte Ridge near the intersection of Climber's Gully and the summer trail to Horse Camp. This is melting out quickly so you may need to take your skis off in places and choose your routes wisely.
There is no usable snow at Sand Flat. The road above Bunny Flat is closed and bare to Panther Meadow. There is no snow at Castle Lake and the lake is not frozen.
High pressure will continue to dominate until Sunday night. The cycle of cold nights and warm days will continue over the next several days.
Low pressure moving in from the northwest Sunday night should bring in some moisture but amounts don't look game-changing and snow levels will be high. Stay tuned ....
October rains brought us up to 160% of normal precipitation for the season. This has gotten us on track to be on average even if the next two months are dry. Despite the respite, drought conditions are likely to persist for California overall, although according to the California Weather Blog, the far north part of the state may be the exception.
