Avalanche Advisory for 2013-03-16 06:44:14

Temperatures are a degree or two cooler than yesterday as the weak cold front moves through the area today. While overnight temps have not been super cold, they have been cold enough to firm the snow up for the morning hours and help transition our snowpack into a melt/freeze cycle. Eventually we should get the beloved corn were famed for! Soft and sticky snow will likely continue however for lower elevation slopes.

Partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies will be above head today. A very low chance of precipitation for this afternoon exists, though it looks like Shasta remains a bit to far south for this one. Of most interest... near and above treeline winds will increase out of the northwest and peak tonight / tomorrow morning. Nothing major, but we should see winds NW 35-45 with gusts higher...and calming by later Sunday / Monday. Next best chance of winter weather is Tuesday, but snow levels look to be around 5,000 ft.

WEATHER STATIONS - (last 24 hours):
In Mt. Shasta City at 0500, we have clear skies and a current temperature of 39 F.
On Mt. Shasta:  In the Old Ski Bowl (7,600') on the south side of Mt. Shasta, we have a current temperature of 34 F. Snow on the ground totals 102 inches with 2" of settlement. Temperatures have ranged from 31 F to 49F.  At Grey Butte (8,000') on the south side of Mt. Shasta winds averaged 8 mph from the NW late last night and switched to ENE - 7 mph in the last 12 hours. A max gust of 35 mph / NW was recorded between 18-1900 . The current temperature is 35 F and temps have ranged 34 F to 47 F.
Castle/Mt. Eddy:   Castle Lake - Castle Lake is hosting a current temp of 34 F. Temperatures have ranged from 34 F to 56 F. Snow depth measures 45" inches with 2" of settlement.  On Mt Eddy, we have 60" inches of snow on the ground with 1" settlement. The current temperature reads 35 F with temps ranging from 33 F to 45 F. Winds have been averaging 2 mph from various directions and gusting to 9 mph / ESE.

THIS SEASON:  September and October were warm and dry with September recording exactly zero precipitation. November remained warmer than normal with precipitation almost double normal values, 9.16" vs. 5.08". A local weather COOP observed the 2nd wettest November on record. December started out wet and warm, but temperatures cooled and brought snow to very low elevations. Since our avalanche cycle near Christmas, we've had a few small storms that brought some amounts of snow to the area, but did not produced any notable avalanches. January was below normal for precipitation with a long period of high pressure and sun that kept skiing conditions somewhat meager. We've had a few storms in the past few weeks that have brought a pittance of wintery weather, but nothing to write home about!  The area has been under siege by high pressure overall and giving us blue bird days for the most part. California and the Sierra Nevada have recorded the driest January and February on record. We currently have 5'-8.5' feet of snow above 6,500 ft. Since September 1st, Mt Shasta sits at 72% of normal, 24.37" recorded; normal 33.67". For 2013, we sit at 20% of normal with 3.67" recorded and 17.79" normal.

This advisory does not apply to Ski Areas or Highways and is for the Mt. Shasta, Castle Lake and Mt. Eddy back country. Use this information for guidance only. You may find different conditions in the back country and should travel accordingly. This advisory expires on midnight of the date it was posted unless otherwise noted.