Avalanche Advisory for 2013-03-17 06:38:17

The weak storm that gave us clouds and just a few rain drops yesterday passes overhead and will proceed eastward. The next few days will host dry weather with gradually diminishing winds on the mountain. Today, lingering clouds and windy conditions will be the soup de jour for backcountry users.

A potential source for excitement, if your not already over winter, will be some weather arriving Tuesday afternoon / evening. While not a complete show stopper, this little storm has decent WSW flow with .5" to 1" of water associated with it. However, temps with this storm look warmer during its arrival. Temps will eventually cool, though it's likely most of the storm will have past by the time snow levels drop. That being said, we can expect 5"-8" of snow above 7,000 feet with this storm late Tuesday and Wednesday with southwest winds 35-45 mph near/above treeline. Snow levels will drop to near 4,000 ft with dwindling precip on Wednesday. Southwest winds will continue through the week and shift to northwest for Thursday.

WEATHER STATIONS - (last 24 hours):
In Mt. Shasta City at 0500, we have clear skies and a current temperature of 37 F.
On Mt. Shasta:  In the Old Ski Bowl (7,600') on the south side of Mt. Shasta, we have a current temperature of 33 F. Snow on the ground totals 101" inches with 1" of settlement. Temperatures have ranged from 29F to 41F.  At Grey Butte (8,000') on the south side of Mt. Shasta winds averaged 25 mph from the NW with a max gust of 92mph from the NW at 0100. The current temperature is 35 F and temps have ranged 28F to 39F.
Castle/Mt. Eddy:   Castle Lake - Castle Lake is hosting a current temp of 27F. Temperatures have ranged from 29F to 51F. Snow depth measures 45" inches with little settlement.  On Mt Eddy, we have 60" inches of snow on the ground with little settlement. The current temperature reads 30 F with temps ranging from 25F to 44F. Winds have been averaging 3 mph from yjr SE and gusting to 15 mph - SE.

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 for 2013 that have brought us glimpses of wintery weather, but nothing to write home about!   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 33.87". For 2013, we sit at 20% of normal with 3.67" recorded and 17.99" 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.