I've been hearing about it from family and friends. Glass half full, there's no forest fire smoke this year (so far). Hopefully it'll stay like that during my visit the following weekend.
Western Weather 2017-18 and Later
- Thread starter Admin
- Start date
EMSC
Well-known member
You speak a bit too early
Nothing big this year but a bit of hazy smoke the last few days coming in from Cali & Idaho (that's what someone said, not really enough smoke for me to bother looking it up though). Hoping we do get some rain this weekend since it's been 2-3 weeks since we finally turned the water spigot off. No need to start a real fire season in Colo this late in the season. It's been a fairly wet summer here as far as 'wet' and the western US can go together in the same sentence.
tseeb
Well-known member
Wild rotating cloud from Mosquito fire last night.
This is just above Foresthill, CA and not very far W of Palisades Tahoe.
We hope this heat dome is over in CA today. My weather station reported 108.6 on 9/8 and 105 today. That is our 6th day in a row over 102 with 4 days at 105 or more. The last two days between 3 and 4 pm we met electrician at our rental 6 blocks away. The problem, preventing power use in house as it's under the meter, is on the W side of the house so even with umbrellas to block some of the sun it was miserable. Another electrician will replace meter panel and re-connect tomorrow. Tenant has been using generator to keep fridge running and was considering larger 220V generator to run whole house air conditioner.
I got out of the heat yesterday by having lunch on coast in Santa Cruz where it was 75 in the afternoon. Car said temp got up to 109 crossing San Jose in mid-afternoon on return. Last weekend we stayed Sat. night in Salinas where we are helping our son get his townhouse ready for rent. After working we went to Carmel for a wine tasting and walk on beach that was as crowded as I've ever seen. We had late dinner on the coast where my phone said it was 59 when we finished. Sun morning it was in the 90s in Salinas before noon and it was 103 at home.
Halibut and chips at Phil's in Moss Landing on the second to last day before they close for re-location.
We hope this heat dome is over in CA today. My weather station reported 108.6 on 9/8 and 105 today. That is our 6th day in a row over 102 with 4 days at 105 or more. The last two days between 3 and 4 pm we met electrician at our rental 6 blocks away. The problem, preventing power use in house as it's under the meter, is on the W side of the house so even with umbrellas to block some of the sun it was miserable. Another electrician will replace meter panel and re-connect tomorrow. Tenant has been using generator to keep fridge running and was considering larger 220V generator to run whole house air conditioner.
I got out of the heat yesterday by having lunch on coast in Santa Cruz where it was 75 in the afternoon. Car said temp got up to 109 crossing San Jose in mid-afternoon on return. Last weekend we stayed Sat. night in Salinas where we are helping our son get his townhouse ready for rent. After working we went to Carmel for a wine tasting and walk on beach that was as crowded as I've ever seen. We had late dinner on the coast where my phone said it was 59 when we finished. Sun morning it was in the 90s in Salinas before noon and it was 103 at home.
Halibut and chips at Phil's in Moss Landing on the second to last day before they close for re-location.
NY Times has a long feature on San Francisco fog today. There's a question of whether it's declining due to climate change and the article did not make much of a case that it is, despite some people's anecdotal comments.
I can tell you that fog in SoCal is radically reduced from when I was growing up. The article illuminated some points there. There are two types of fog here. One was widespread winter fog, something like the Tule fog in the Central Valley. SoCal's winter fog is almost non-existent now and I believe the Tule fog is much less frequent. The other SoCal fog is the gray May/June gloom along the coast, which is our milder version of the April-July central coast/SF fog season.
Reasons?
1) Particulate pollution creates more particles for water vapor to condense into fog, and that pollution is much reduced over the past 50 years.
2) Urban heat island effect tends to prevent fog on the ground, though the "fog season" clouds are still there starting maybe 100 feet off the ground.
I can tell you that fog in SoCal is radically reduced from when I was growing up. The article illuminated some points there. There are two types of fog here. One was widespread winter fog, something like the Tule fog in the Central Valley. SoCal's winter fog is almost non-existent now and I believe the Tule fog is much less frequent. The other SoCal fog is the gray May/June gloom along the coast, which is our milder version of the April-July central coast/SF fog season.
Reasons?
1) Particulate pollution creates more particles for water vapor to condense into fog, and that pollution is much reduced over the past 50 years.
2) Urban heat island effect tends to prevent fog on the ground, though the "fog season" clouds are still there starting maybe 100 feet off the ground.
ChrisC
Well-known member
Your dog looks like my brother’s latest adoption - Tuva - the White Wolf. Not sure his mix yet - getting genetic test back soon. Some Martha’s Vineyard beach pics from this week.
jasoncapecod
Well-known member
My daughter and her boyfriend got stuck on that beach in a rented Jeep.. Called me in a panick since the rental company said don't take on the beach..They didn't realize you had to manually put in 4x4...
I've been to Martha's once. I took the ferry on foot, rented a bike. I could not resist riding out to the Chappaquiddick bridge, which to no surprise had guardrails installed by then.
Driving on sand is tricky and not like driving on snow. Former admin told me to use the setting that locks all 4 wheels.
Driving on sand is tricky and not like driving on snow. Former admin told me to use the setting that locks all 4 wheels.
Last week at Island Beach, NJ:
SUVs can drive on the beach but had to be off by 4 pm due to high tide that went all the way to the dunes.
The beach was very soft so my friends deflated their tires to about 15 pounds.
EMSC
Well-known member
Snowmaking finally begins....
Copper starts
Of course it's focused on racer terrain/lane space. They won't open to the public until mid-Nov.
Copper starts
Of course it's focused on racer terrain/lane space. They won't open to the public until mid-Nov.
EMSC
Well-known member
When will Colo officially open for 22-23?
Copper is grooming and running Excelerator lift today. Rumor had it a week ago that they were shooting for Fri OCT 21 for US Ski Team to start running on Copperopolis trail...
Meanwhile ABasin is now grooming as well, which means they are usually within 1-2 more nights of snowmaking; and looking to see where the thin spots are after the initial piles are pushed around.
So: very soon, but no announcements yet that I've seen...
Copper is grooming and running Excelerator lift today. Rumor had it a week ago that they were shooting for Fri OCT 21 for US Ski Team to start running on Copperopolis trail...
Meanwhile ABasin is now grooming as well, which means they are usually within 1-2 more nights of snowmaking; and looking to see where the thin spots are after the initial piles are pushed around.
So: very soon, but no announcements yet that I've seen...
Last edited:
OpenSnow has its first interesting forecast of the season today. The PNW will see its current fires extinguished by 3 storms between Friday and the middle of next week. Rain/snow lines will mostly be partway up the ski areas. Storm #1 will continue into the Northern Rockies and Utah with over a foot in the most favored locations. That storm will continue into Colorado Sunday/Monday but its exact track there is still uncertain. Combined with EMSC's post above, the A-Basin/Keystone/Loveland openings seem likely by the middle of next week.
No surprise it's 90+F this week in SoCal, above average but it's a rare October without a few days like this. Long term October is warmer than June in L.A. and averages for November and April are about the same. There's a reason I've had only 30 ski days before Dec. 1 in 44 ski seasons (Antarctica 2011 excluded). That's why I scheduled bunion surgery for Sept. 8. I don't expect that will cost me any ski days though I've missed quite a few beach opportunities in the past 6 weeks.
No surprise it's 90+F this week in SoCal, above average but it's a rare October without a few days like this. Long term October is warmer than June in L.A. and averages for November and April are about the same. There's a reason I've had only 30 ski days before Dec. 1 in 44 ski seasons (Antarctica 2011 excluded). That's why I scheduled bunion surgery for Sept. 8. I don't expect that will cost me any ski days though I've missed quite a few beach opportunities in the past 6 weeks.
Last edited:
EMSC
Well-known member
And the verdict is in -- Skiing to be had on Sunday in Colo...
Abasin opening
I sure won't be there, but enjoy if you are going. 1,000+ people on just a couple of acres is just not my thing.
Abasin opening
I sure won't be there, but enjoy if you are going. 1,000+ people on just a couple of acres is just not my thing.
Mammoth opened early today. I was a bit surprised since the 11 inches last week was not enough for natural snow terrain. Nonetheless 3 distinct runs are open, Broadway and Silver Tip/Rusty's on chair 1 (1,000 vertical) and Saddle Bowl higher up on on chair 3 (900 vert).
I wondered why A-Basin opened two weeks ago but still has only 2 runs on its lower 719 vertical chair open but nothing yet on Lenawee. So I checked Al's Blog. Lenawee is being replaced by a high speed quad and the construction is not done yet. This is a movie we have seen before at other areas: new lifts not being ready before the snow flies. I'm sure this year supply chain issues add to the delays.
I wondered why A-Basin opened two weeks ago but still has only 2 runs on its lower 719 vertical chair open but nothing yet on Lenawee. So I checked Al's Blog. Lenawee is being replaced by a high speed quad and the construction is not done yet. This is a movie we have seen before at other areas: new lifts not being ready before the snow flies. I'm sure this year supply chain issues add to the delays.
EMSC
Well-known member
Yep, last I knew they were blowing snow on Sundance trail; the adjacent beginner trail, also on the lower mtn, but not sure they can even get that one open in the short term as the dirt road they have to use to get up to the construction nearly completely crosses that trail. Given the snowy start to the season, if I were Al (GM of ABasin), I would have been making snow on Molly Hogan and across the base area to Pali lift and also on the lower part of Dercums gulch in hopes that I could get something like West Wall or Grizzly Road open in the next week or so... Would spread people out and give more vert and etc... Could even blow snow onto the bottom part of west wall too (not sure they could groom that snow up-hill though).
All of that especially given that the holiday turkey weekend opening of the new Lenawee lift is very much in doubt. Based on the hesitation in his post, I'm guessing they might be lucky to get it open by the literal last day of Nov.
I believe A-Basin has an extremely limited water supply. They have such an ideal snowmaking climate in terms of high base altitude and low humidity. That enables the early openings but you never see them get past about 10% open without some natural snow. That applies to Loveland too. Both areas are conspicuous laggards in getting past 50% open, sometimes not until February.
jimk
Active member
Gonna add a beach pic of my own to this thread , sunset around 5:45 PM on 2 Nov 2022 at Panama City Beach, FL. On that day the air was 83 degs and water 77 degs. I was in the area for about 3 weeks helping fix up a house one of my daughters just bought. Swam in the Gulf numerous occasions on that trip. October is a nice time to be in the Florida Panhandle, beautiful weather and few people.
I have grown children living in Wash DC, SLC, San Diego and Florida/Caribbean. Hmmm, I think an emerging retirement plan for my wife and I might be to rotate visiting each for four months per year
jimk
Active member
Wow double jackpot, SoCal is the site of a winning $2 Billion Power Ball ticket and now a weather report on 8 Nov 2022 for the Big Bear Lake area: Snow accumulations of 6 to 14 inches, with some areas measuring up to 20 inches, are forecast to fall by Wednesday in the Los Angeles and Ventura county mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
A dusting of around two inches is expected between 4,000 feet and 5,500 feet with about a half inch of snow possibly falling on the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine area.
The most likely time for snowfall to hit the Grapevine area is Tuesday night through early Wednesday morning. Gusty winds as high as 50 mph could also face drivers, according to the weather service.
A dusting of around two inches is expected between 4,000 feet and 5,500 feet with about a half inch of snow possibly falling on the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine area.
The most likely time for snowfall to hit the Grapevine area is Tuesday night through early Wednesday morning. Gusty winds as high as 50 mph could also face drivers, according to the weather service.
EMSC
Well-known member
Yep. They take a tiny amount of water out of the creek down by Keystone, pump it uphill to fill up a modest sized pond with it. So they are ready to go to roughly open one trail at the start of the season as that's about what the modest sized holding pond can handle. Then they have to slowly refill the pond as best they can etc... So very cold air for long periods means other resorts are going to open beyond the initial one run way faster than ABasin. Additionally, ABasin only has snowmaking infrastructure on like 5 trails total. so you will not anytime soon see them get past 5-10% open quickly, except the very best natural snow early seasons.
Loveland is somewhat different and has infrastructure on way more acres (at least a few hundred acres), but their pipe sizes, pumps, water storage while much better than ABasin, is still not the type of stuff you would likely put in today. It's fairly modest in total gallons per hour, etc... Plus they insist on opening the longest, flattest possible trail they can think of to get open. Anyway, Loveland, esp in recent years, seems to have little interest in being 1st to open and has modest snowmaking chops to get more open quickly. They used to bring in a NZ crew that was top of the charts for knowledge and efficiency to get open quick, but I don't believe they have done that in quite a number of years now.
That crew was from Coronet Peak. I heard about that when I was there in 2006.