katabatic

The wind kept the snow in the parking lot from completely burying the cars. Good news! The not so good news is what’s remaining is true Sierra Cement. A front loader and a spinning turbine should be here by noon so we can really start digging out. Impossible to say what the storm total was but after seeing some regional observations and talking with folks that live here, it’s a solid 120 inches…10 feet. 

The wind kept the snow in the parking lot from completely burying the cars. Good news! The not so good news is what’s remaining is true Sierra Cement. A front loader and a spinning turbine should be here by noon so we can really start digging out. Impossible to say what the storm total was but after seeing some regional observations and talking with folks that live here, it’s a solid 120 inches…10 feet. 

West coast just making east coast cry for mama from pre 2015 years.

Greetings again from Donner! This epic storm continues. The entire front of the condo building has now disappeared. We’ve been taking turns at an entrance on the windward side, keeping that open (well, kinda) so at least we can get outside. To get this picture, I waded through waist to chest high snow. I have done multiple lake effect chases so I have seen some pretty intense snow but earlier today we had a thunderstorm that easily dropped 4 or 5 inches in 30 minutes. Still no power, no plow and no internet (phone works!) but warm and well fed. What a once in a lifetime experience for someone who loves this stuff. 

Greetings again from Donner! The entire front of the four-story condo has now disappeared. We have been taking turns on a side entrance keeping that clear (well, kinda) so that at least we can get outside. I do a lot of lake effect chasing so I have seen some incredibly intense snowfall but we had a thunderstorm earlier today that easily dropped 4 or 5 inches in a 30 minute time span. Pretty epic storm. 

I’m from the MidAtlantic forum and don’t post here but thought I would share with you a picture I just took of the condo I’m staying at Donner Pass in California. Our weather has been shitty so I decided to chase this epic Sierra snowstorm. Mind you, this building is four stories tall and it’s on the leeward side of the wind direction, but still….

This sure has been one hell of an adventure. I don’t have power, I don’t have Internet although my phone still works thankfully. The snowblower that the condo uses to dig us out is broken and they don’t think we’re gonna get any back up until at least Monday. I estimate we’ve had about 7 feet with another 4 to 6 to come. If I don’t get out on Monday which is when my flight is, Tuesday and Wednesday we’re going to get another 2 feet.

19 hours ago, Terpeast said:

How were you able to find a place to stay at short notice? 

Airbnb…and a wide open wallet. 

It’s still winter here for sure. We’re in a relative lull right now. Total estimate but so far 3 1/2 feet. About a half an hour ago. I heard this tremendous explosion and thought oh shit that’s a transformer that just blew. But the power stayed on and I heard a second explosion and then a third. It literally made the dishes rattle and it took me a minute to realize these explosions are the howitzers that they’re firing up on the mountain for avalanche control. 

When the terms blowing and drifting made their way into the forecast, the Mets were on to something. Power has gone out twice but somehow miraculously came back on. No idea how much so far but at least a foot. Fortunately the condo has a facilities team who are keeping the lot passable. Updated P&C totals are insane. 

22 minutes ago, wxdude64 said:

Neighbor has been keeping up with weather numbers while I am gone (and feeding kitty), texted this morning and updated today for end of month for CoCoRaHS, so here goes.....

Averaged high temp for month was 52.9 degrees vs a normal of 46.0 degrees, a +6.9 degrees above average. The warmest day was the 27th with a 65.7 degree reading. Averaged low was 28.7 degrees vs a normal of 24.0 degrees, a +4.7 degrees above average. The coldest reading was 18.8 degrees on the 18th. Overall averaged temp was 40.8 degrees vs a normal of 35.0 degrees, a +5.8 degrees above average. Total precip for the month was 2.25 inches vs a normal of 2.67, a -0.42 below average. The wettest day was the 13th with 0.72 inches falling. There were 10 days with measurable, 4 days with a 'T' and 15 dry days. Total snowfall for the month was a terrible 'T' vs a normal of 5.9 inches, -5.9 inches below average with 4 days that occurring, 1st, 13th, 16th and 17th. Rest of month was snowless. This ties for 2nd least snowiest Feb with 1990/91/99 and 2017 and just behind 1988's completely snowless month. The highest wind recorded for month was 39 mph on the 14th. Two new records, both new 'warm minimum's, set on 11th and 12th. Overall, a very warm and semi-dry month, with hardly any snow. 

Still in CA (today is wife's last official 'working day', retirement together commences tomorrow), headed to Park City tomorrow (least I will get my snow fix in) to see son a couple of days, then driving back home starting Monday. 

Hey friend - hope you get across the mountains in good shape! Stay safe and carry all kinds of extra food/water/blankets with you. Have a great time in Park City. 

Started out around 6 AM PT as rain, had about a hour of sleet and is now heavy snow. This is a pic from the balcony. Visbys alternate between ~1/8 and ~1/2 mile. I don’t have an anemometer but guessing gusts have been in the 40-50 range with a few touching 60. Closest reliable reporting station is Tahoe/Donner (TADC1) and says temp is 31 with similar wind reports. 

Turning left out of the parking lot and this is the view. I’m up in the air which bodes well for maximizing snowfall. 

Your yin to my yang. Calm before the storm here. Finally made it to Donner Summit last night - and now looking at a forecast for the ages. The pic is the entrance to my Airbnb condo. Will be interesting to see what it looks like post storm. 

I live in Maryland but coming out to Donner ski area for the storm. Looking forward to being in your area!

According to NWS I’m in the 100+ inch zone at Donner. There is 3 extra bedrooms at this place…anybody wanna come and help me shovel lol 

1 hour ago, BlizzardNole said:

WOW I can't wait to see some of your videos of this.  Current Donner Pass forecast:

Thursday:  New snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches possible.
Thursday Night:  New snow accumulation of 17 to 23 inches possible.
Friday:  New snow accumulation of 19 to 25 inches possible.
Friday Night:  Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow. 
Saturday:  Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow
Saturday Night:  Snow showers likely, mainly before 11pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Areas of blowing snow before 11pm. 

Already having flight drama but I will make this come hell or high…snow. Blizzard warning now up for 5-10 feet and 65 mph winds. My Airbnb is at 7,100 feet on the windward side of the Sierra. The condo is at the base of Donner ski resort so if there is anywhere that’s going to max out on QPF, this will be it. LFG! 

We're getting to the point where snowfall amount probabilities
  in the Sierra/northeast CA won't even matter--being replaced by
  certainties. Snow amounts will be so much and difficult to 
  accurately measure due to strong winds producing prolonged 
  periods of near zero visibility, and blowing/drifting snow 
  capable of burying vehicles and making it difficult to locate 
  roads. Even walking outside would not be advised during this 
  storm as a person could quickly become lost or disoriented.

Its going to get chilly here, but this is the AFD for the Sierra Nevada. I'm chasing it. Flying out today at 4 PM to Reno and spending 6 nights up near Donner Pass. This should be the chase of a lifetime. 

1 hour ago, mdhokie said:

Tell him thanks for keeping the lifts spinning! All the employees are really friendly. Wish the management was a little better and they invested more into the infrastructure.

Their internal culture is pretty damn good. They treat their employees well. And while they may not have all the newest tools of the trade, they do everything they can to stay open for as long as they can. Tomorrow will be an awesome day for anyone going. 

56 minutes ago, mdhokie said:

About 2" of snow in Deep Creek, made for some fun skiing. Looking at the forecast temps this might be the last good weekend to ski. 

Yeah the forecast, with the exception of a couple nights next week, looks foreboding for folks at Wisp. It was packed today and my husband was on Lift 3 working...they all said the same thing. At least last season we had some cold air in March which allowed them to stay open until late March (barely), but that looks completely absent this year. I got 2.4" today so far in MLP which was a pleasant surprise, so maybe we'll have more surprises down the line. 

Nice little snowfall this morning w/visbs right now under a mile. Temp 31.6 with grass and trees whitening. 

Healthy thunderstorm here in Garrett County. Multiple claps of sharp thunder, very dark skies, torrential rain and bright flashes of lightning. You know, a typical February day. 

Oh, and now just slightly smaller than pea size hail. Not quite the 'epic pattern' I was hoping for in a February Nino. Sigh...

28.2/24.1 with steady, light snow. It took about 90 minutes of virga before the snow reached the ground. NWS map as of ~9PM is still holding onto 8-12 IMBY. If that were to realize, I would have to get into intense and sustained bands and based on radar, that is not happening. Not being a deb, just realistic. Looks to clear here by ~3 AM. Currently a dusting. 

34.3/14.2. As a kid, I loved it when the Weather Channel said in their forecast the clouds will be "lowering and thickening". That's what is happening now. Pretty damn excited. Since this is going to be a quick hitter and I have a 3 day weekend, heading out first thing tomorrow morning to the Tug Hill to chase a little LES and do some snowmobiling. LR forecasts apparently aren't worth a shit but if these verify, this may be the best winter weekend for the remainder of the season so hope to make it count 

LWX slightly more bullish than this morning's map.