powderfreak Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Pretty cool meso-scale clouds witnessed this morning at the mountain... there must've been a ridgetop inversion because the clouds just wouldn't make it over the Spine. BTV mentioned WNW flow "packing" this morning against the western slopes and eastern Champlain Valley and it was quite visible from the mountain. This is looking south along the peaks that make up the Spine... clouds on the west, sun on the east. And what was even cooler was that the Smugglers Notch gap is the only opening in this area below like 3,000ft for air to travel through, and so all morning long, clouds were banked up in the Notch and would slowly push through and dissipate. This view is looking northwest at the cloud bank from the base of the ski resort. The moisture was trying to push through but each time a little piece of moisture would push through it was evaporate quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dendrite Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 LOL yep... however I will say upslope makes for fantastic skiing and when there are no synoptic storms, it holds you over until you get a nice caking nor'easter. I think us skiers like it for the high quality of powder it provides, but you need A LOT of it to build a good snow base. I'll take a little (or a lot) of both though to keep me satisfied, lol. The upslope did help ease the pain of this winter a lot, but I think I've had 90-100" so far this season and probably have the same snow cover as your area as it melts quickly. We did have a nice run of solid snow cover since before Christmas though... this is the first time I've seen any grassy areas around town in months. I was sorta kidding...you guys get enough upslope to get me jealous. We do relatively well for a lower elevation downwind of mtns though thanks to the CAD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I was sorta kidding...you guys get enough upslope to get me jealous. We do relatively well for a lower elevation downwind of mtns though thanks to the CAD. I get jealous of your CAD and how long you hold onto snow in SWFE...also the proximity to the coast for nor'easters. Your snowpack retention seems exceptionally good in your area, too. Every spot has its advantages and disadvantages, haha. But don't get me wrong, I am well aware of the benefits of synoptic snow and if I could have that instead, I'd take it everyday for its durability and lasting qualities. I just find upslope fascinating like most mesoscale weather, but obviously when J.Spin and I are talking snowfall totals for the season, its apples to oranges if you try to compare it to non-upslope areas. Like last winter I had 150" of snow but that would have been significantly different if it was 150" of dense synoptic snow, instead of like 90" of synoptic snow and 60" of fluff. The impact on roads and stuff also is no where near the same... like 20" of upslope can easily be moved by shovel, but 20" of 8-10:1 snow is a different story. Still, I love snow and won't discriminate between one or the other, haha. I was pretty jealous of Eek's 7"+ last night... I love those surprise events more than big, long-tracked for 5 days straight, type of systems. He picked up the same amount of snow in a couple hours that many of us would've spent endless hours tracking if it was a day 5 model run showing the potential for 7" somewhere in New England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxeyeNH Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Im surprised I held onto my new snowcover today. High was 36F. My 4.25" from last night is still covering the ground at sunset, even on the south facing slopes. Most of my field was bare this time yesterday. I assume it will be gone by tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allenson Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Plenty of snowcover here still--our fluffy 4" from two nights ago stayed soft yesterday on top of the old snow here but it definitely burned off south-facing banks and hillsides lower in elevation that become bare during last week's torch. We took a real nice ski tour yesterday afternoon at a place a little north of here in the 1600'-2000' range. They didn't get as much of the fluff as we did even ten miles north but the skiing was still terrific. Some of the best we've done this season, actually. The snow was pretty deep in the open hardwoods and while less so on the wide-open, wind-scoured treeless hilltop, still plenty skiable. That looks to change in a hurry though. Heading the Burke this afternoon. Should be a gem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderwx Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Did you happen to ride Jay yesterday? I saw their snow report showing 1-2" yesterday morning, and no new snow last night yet they are saying 6" in the past 48 hours. Did they get more snow than their original morning report showed? Nope. Toured around Hazen's Notch. I would say they got their 6 from the windblown pile under the ledges on green beret. it was more like 3, maybe felt like 6 sliding through it, ultra fluff. no new snow. some cool little micro powder pockets. very little wind on friday, you'd tour through spring snow and bare trees to mid winter powder and plastered coats of snow. really amazing against the blue skies. awesome moonset and sunrise this AM. your hill is looking wonderfully white PF from up here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Man what an awesome moon last night. Had an awesome shot of it coming over Meredith bay. Some people ice fishing this morning....I assume it was in the teens last night. Despite the cold, the spring birds are out this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Great photo, Borderwx! Brochure day in progress up here... wow what a fantastic series of runs this morning. Last of the cold, winter snow for a while. Ungroomed stuff is a shall we say firm and a bit variable, but you can find enjoyable turns if you know where the new snow has drifted. But wow... you can feel the warm air pushing in on the SW winds up high this morning. Steadily increasing warm flow at the summit. Now its time to play the game of "how long does it last?" As you can see from the webcam down in town, sheltered areas (like backyards and wooded areas) have solid cover, but open fields that have been scoured and burned off are starting to show their bare spots. You can see the bare spot growing on the field across the road from this webcam. Snow depth is highly variable as is usually the case this time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderwx Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I would feel a lot better if we could at get below freezing this week and beyond. this stands out from BTV... ".UNSEASONABLY MILD WEATHER ON TAP FOR MID TO LATE WEEK WELL INTO WEEK BEYOND AS TEMPERATURES AVERAGE 15 TO 25 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL..." Ouch from a snow sliding perspective. OK from a pedaling perspective. Time to start dusting off gear for the next season. Busy garage time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Went snowmobiling in Stowe yesterday , up through the Mt. Mansfield State Forest. Pretty decent snow up high. My neighbor runs Stowe Snowmobile Tours from the Cotton Brook access in Moscow. there was still snow there but they won't last the week. Here is a picture from up high, not sure of the elevation. Looked to be about 3 feet on the ground. We were able to ride over to the Waterbury dam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 One more picture from the iPhone of the snow in Stowe and my son who turns 8 tomorrow. This ride was an early birthday present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Nice mreaves... 3 feet would put you roughly at like 2,000-2,500ft range. Best guess would be 2,300ft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsnowstorm628 Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 Well, as this weekend draws to a close, it is a far cry from this time last weekend. 2.6" in 3 hours last Sunday evening which brought our depth up close to 15". Well, as of now our depth is officially down to 2.75" with many bare spots. I think most places will have no snow below 1,200ft by Tuesday with areas between 1,200 and 1,500ft following by Friday. Was gonna go to Burke with the girlfriend on Saturday, but we'll see how that goes with temps 55F-60F all week even up top. Got to 52F today and still sitting at 48F as of 6:50pm...not too shabby for March 10! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I gotta think that we may challenge March 24 as the earliest ice out on Lake Winnipesaukee, if this weather keeps up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I would feel a lot better if we could at get below freezing this week and beyond. When I saw your comment I decided to look at the Mt. Mansfield point forecast, and aside from tomorrow night, all nights out through next weekend are forecast to be below freezing; there’s also snow mentioned Tuesday night and Wednesday. Even down here in the valley a majority of nights are at or below 32 F in the forecast, so it definitely sounds like there are chances to get below freezing. It would be nice if things froze up at night because it makes the best corn snow, although I was sort of surprised to see those temperatures with the way everyone has been emphasizing the warmth. Perhaps the air will be dry so the diurnal temperature range will be large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsnowstorm628 Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 When I saw your comment I decided to look at the Mt. Mansfield point forecast, and aside from tomorrow night, all nights out through next weekend are forecast to be below freezing; there’s also snow mentioned Tuesday night and Wednesday. Even down here in the valley a majority of nights are at or below 32 F in the forecast, so it definitely sounds like there are chances to get below freezing. It would be nice if things froze up at night because it makes the best corn snow, although I was sort of surprised to see those temperatures with the way everyone has been emphasizing the warmth. Perhaps the air will be dry so the diurnal temperature range will be large. Only problem with just getting to 28-32F at night, is that with that larger diurnal temperature change, many areas will still be into the low 60s during the day time, which will be a killer for anywhere without man made snow. Many snow mobilers will be out of luck after this week unless they trailer to some place with serious elevation. Spring skiing will be in full swing this week and probably until atleast early April, but the problem I can see is that with temperatures really spiking over the next week, and the fact that we have had a lackluster winter overall makes me think many will just forget their late season ski trips. As many here have said before, if there is no snow at people's houses, they think there is no snow anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dryslot Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Only problem with just getting to 28-32F at night, is that with that larger diurnal temperature change, many areas will still be into the low 60s during the day time, which will be a killer for anywhere without man made snow. Many snow mobilers will be out of luck after this week unless they trailer to some place with serious elevation. Spring skiing will be in full swing this week and probably until atleast early April, but the problem I can see is that with temperatures really spiking over the next week, and the fact that we have had a lackluster winter overall makes me think many will just forget their late season ski trips. As many here have said before, if there is no snow at people's houses, they think there is no snow anywhere. We are definitely SOL here, The NW maine mtns is where you would need to ride now, I am sure the county is taking a beating as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsnowstorm628 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 We are definitely SOL here, The NW maine mtns is where you would need to ride now, I am sure the county is taking a beating as well As you probably read the other day, I went out to island Pond and east toward North Stratford, NH to take a look at the conditions on Thursday when it was 60F. They had 12+" still on the ground above like 1800ft but near 1000ft they had like 1-3" with barespots...They're deff screwed by the end of the week unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Holy inversion. 4,000ft...37F 1,500ft...48F 800ft...30F You can see up in this area, temps are all over the place... ranging from the upper 20s in the lowest spots to mid 40s up near 1,500ft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adk Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Looking like much of the nor. VT, ADK and WHites will sneak a few upper elevation snow showers wed into thurs as a departing low flows cool air and moisture into region in it's wake. Might really make a difference to lock all this stuff up. Got a lot to survive however. GFS pushes 850s to 10c with sunny skies by early next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Looking like much of the nor. VT, ADK and WHites will sneak a few upper elevation snow showers wed into thurs as a departing low flows cool air and moisture into region in it's wake. Might really make a difference to lock all this stuff up. Got a lot to survive however. GFS pushes 850s to 10c with sunny skies by early next week. This is the type of stuff that makes me feel very uneasy. Dude it was 29-28F on the Mountain Road between my place and the Matterhorn...I had to defrost my car with everything frozen up. Then I head up the hill to the ski resort and my car thermometer starts jumping up like 2-4F at a time. Between two weather stations in the 1,500-1,600ft range it is 46F-48F right now. We cannot have nights in the 45-50F range at that 1,500-2,500ft elevation band if we want any chance of snow sticking around into April. Another beautiful morning in the mountains, though. View from the BTV airfield of Mansfield's ridgeline... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dryslot Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 As you probably read the other day, I went out to island Pond and east toward North Stratford, NH to take a look at the conditions on Thursday when it was 60F. They had 12+" still on the ground above like 1800ft but near 1000ft they had like 1-3" with barespots...They're deff screwed by the end of the week unfortunately. Yeah, Its over, Anything that would fall now would only hang around a few days in these temps, I am ready to move on to spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 We are definitely SOL here, The NW maine mtns is where you would need to ride now, I am sure the county is taking a beating as well As you probably read the other day, I went out to island Pond and east toward North Stratford, NH to take a look at the conditions on Thursday when it was 60F. They had 12+" still on the ground above like 1800ft but near 1000ft they had like 1-3" with barespots...They're deff screwed by the end of the week unfortunately. I'm not sure even Rangely will survive this week. Great area to ride in. My son is bugging me to buy a trailer so we can bring our own sleds to the snow when necessary, I'd have to drive north of Montreal right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Yeah, Its over, Anything that would fall now would only hang around a few days in these temps, I am ready to move on to spring Unfortunately it will still be at least a month before the golf courses open around here. Probably a bit longer for my course in order to let grass grow in the fairways that were damaged in Irene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 GYX took most of my 60's away and lowered my lows for this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsnowstorm628 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 GYX took most of my 60's away and lowered my lows for this week. Remember my title for this thread? Get ready for some back door action!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamarack Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Near 60 in AUG at 1 PM and nearly cloud (and wind) free. Lack of SW wind will probably bring onshore cooling to some, but it's less common for it to come this far inland without synoptic help. Low at MBY was around 20, so another +/-40F diurnal range. The 10" at the stake this morning will probably be about 7" this aft; even at 60 it's hard to melt more than 3" of the 3:1 (or even 2:1) cement in our yard. Interesting that the AFD from CAR this morning held out the possibility of advisory level snows for the north. Haven't seen 12z, but 06z gfs would mean 6-8" centered on Wednesday for FVE,40B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snow Bow Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Up to 71.2 here. Feels nice but id still prefer a snowstorm up until about halfway through April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsnowstorm628 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Near 60 in AUG at 1 PM and nearly cloud (and wind) free. Lack of SW wind will probably bring onshore cooling to some, but it's less common for it to come this far inland without synoptic help. Low at MBY was around 20, so another +/-40F diurnal range. The 10" at the stake this morning will probably be about 7" this aft; even at 60 it's hard to melt more than 3" of the 3:1 (or even 2:1) cement in our yard. Interesting that the AFD from CAR this morning held out the possibility of advisory level snows for the north. Haven't seen 12z, but 06z gfs would mean 6-8" centered on Wednesday for FVE,40B. Truth. We have that same 'problem' over this way. Bare spots in suspect sunny spots, but where there's shade its 2-4" of ice cement. It'll take a long time to get rid of that stuff. 58.3F and steady, if not rising. One thing about DST is that highs occur between 2-4 instead of 1-3 now..so hoping for 60F today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsnowstorm628 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Up to 71.2 here. Feels nice but id still prefer a snowstorm up until about halfway through April. Wow, thats impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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