Subtropics Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Some insane totals out there. Is this the type of snow that can cause high elevation residents to evacuate down the mountain? Would it be crazy to take a trip out there for one of the super firehouse snow events? I imagine being in a location where 10 feet of snow was going to fall would be a life threatening event. Any tags care to explain the meteorology behind this? Could the beltway even ever get a third of this amount of snow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercurial Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Haven't been paying attention to the weather down there but Tahoe has like 20" otg right now. The ten foot areas are probably well above the inhabitable elevations of the sierras with few if anyone living there. That said, most high elevation areas in the West are pretty well equipped for snow. Most homes in the Sierras probably have steeply pitched roofs with heat cables and such to prevent snow buildup and ice damming on roofs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterWxLuvr Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 1 hour ago, Subtropics said: Some insane totals out there. Is this the type of snow that can cause high elevation residents to evacuate down the mountain? Would it be crazy to take a trip out there for one of the super firehouse snow events? I imagine being in a location where 10 feet of snow was going to fall would be a life threatening event. Any tags care to explain the meteorology behind this? Could the beltway even ever get a third of this amount of snow? Orographic lift, high elevation, moisture laden air flow = huge amounts of snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfan Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 The big snow events on the pac coast mountains are nuts. I remember once driving from Reno to Tahoe over Mt. Rose and being in awe of the roadside snow poles. Those damn things must've been 15-20 feet tall. Squaw has 94" in the last 7 days. Squaw is currently reporting rain with snow levels above 9k. They anticipate going back to snow tonight with an additional 3-4 feet by Thursday. In general, the west is having a great ski season. Jackson Hole has 272" already this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
das Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 1 hour ago, Subtropics said: Some insane totals out there. Is this the type of snow that can cause high elevation residents to evacuate down the mountain? Would it be crazy to take a trip out there for one of the super firehouse snow events? I imagine being in a location where 10 feet of snow was going to fall would be a life threatening event. Any tags care to explain the meteorology behind this? Could the beltway even ever get a third of this amount of snow? The laymans term is a "pineapple express", an influx of deep subtropical moisture that originates from near Hawaii and rides a stalled cold front all the way to the west coast of North America. Also known as an atmospheric river due to the very high total precipitable water content in the jet-induced transport of moisture, they are known to be drought busters in CA and the PAC NW. Here's a decent write up by Dr. Masters on one of the more memorable events: https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/the-arkstorm-californias-coming-great-deluge ESRL has a great, high level info page accessible to most on the phenomenon: https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/atmrivers/ If you really want to geek out on the topic, here's a great list of peer reviewed papers on the subject: https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/atmrivers/pubs/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amped Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 They are getting a warm storm today that is melting a lot of snowpack below 8000ft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Chill Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I've been to tahoe several times. It's a big storm cycle coming up but they have experienced plenty lIke it over the years. Houses are built for it no problem. The biggest problems people deal with is their own driveway and sidewalks. There aren't many roads in general there and plow trucks and snow eaters stay in front of it unlike urban areas where secondary roads dont get touched during the event. Most folks live below 8k'. The big totals are higher up on the mountains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfan Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I see a lot of the ski resorts are closed today because of winds. Squaw had 70mph gusts in its forecast. Sounds like fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MillvilleWx Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 45 minutes ago, das said: The laymans term is a "pineapple express", an influx of deep subtropical moisture that originates from near Hawaii and rides a stalled cold front all the way to the west coast of North America. Also known as an atmospheric river due to the very high total precipitable water content in the jet-induced transport of moisture, they are known to be drought busters in CA and the PAC NW. Here's a decent write up by Dr. Masters on one of the more memorable events: https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/the-arkstorm-californias-coming-great-deluge ESRL has a great, high level info page accessible to most on the phenomenon: https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/atmrivers/ If you really want to geek out on the topic, here's a great list of peer reviewed papers on the subject: https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/atmrivers/pubs/ I read Jeff Masters write up and then read more about the Great Flood and that is truly amazing stuff. I love extreme weather history. I can only imagine how much snow fell over 10k+ feet in that time. Had to be 500" or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfan Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 19 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said: I'd love to see folks answer the second question in the OP. What's the max snowfall you think we could get around here if everything broke right? Officially, BWI recorded 29.2" last year for Snowzilla. BWI has 5 storms all-time with more than 2 feet. Everything would have to go just right (good temps, no dry slot, etc.) but BWI could hit 3 feet one day. Outlying areas have in the past and Dulles recorded 32.4" for 2/5-6 in 2010. Outlying areas could surpass 40" in the right conditions. DCA...who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amped Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 2 hours ago, Bob Chill said: I've been to tahoe several times. It's a big storm cycle coming up but they have experienced plenty lIke it over the years. Houses are built for it no problem. The biggest problems people deal with is their own driveway and sidewalks. There aren't many roads in general there and plow trucks and snow eaters stay in front of it unlike urban areas where secondary roads dont get touched during the event. Most folks live below 8k'. The big totals are higher up on the mountains. The flooding is going to make national headlines though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dailylurker Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I was just talking about this last night with friends. The donner party experience a setup like what those mountains are seeing now. If I remember correctly they were stuck at 10,000' and experienced an event similar to what is happening now. I'm sure everyone knows how that turned out. I have a friend in Lake Tahoe. She gives me updates when they get good snow. They've had some disaster winters lately. This one has been pretty good so far. She was bummed out about the high snow levels right now. They have snow weenie problems too lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardNole Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 In the Knickerbocker Storm, the measured snow depth at the main observing site in Washington, D.C. reached 28 in while an observer in Rock Creek Park a few miles to the north measured 33 inches. Those were snow depths, so what would the snowfall amounts have been using today's 6-hour method? Something like 36-40" for the official site and 40-45" at Rock Creek? Yeah no one lives high up on Mt Shasta, but it is a kick in the pants to read the point-and-click forecast: This Afternoon Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 19. Wind chill values as low as -13. Windy, with a south southwest wind around 110 mph, with gusts as high as 115 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 24 to 30 inches possible. Tonight Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -23. Windy, with a southwest wind 75 to 80 mph decreasing to 65 to 70 mph. Winds could gust as high as 115 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 9 to 13 inches possible. Monday Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Temperature falling to around 0 by 7am. Wind chill values as low as -36. Windy, with a southwest wind 65 to 70 mph decreasing to 55 to 60 mph. Winds could gust as high as 105 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 12 to 18 inches possible. Monday Night Snow showers before 10pm, then snow after 10pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -36. Windy, with a west southwest wind 75 to 80 mph increasing to 85 to 90 mph. Winds could gust as high as 115 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 15 to 21 inches possible. Tuesday Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 12. Windy, with a south southwest wind 70 to 80 mph increasing to 80 to 90 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 115 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 27 to 33 inches possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfan Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 That snow here...might as well shut school down til april. Good lord....that's nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfan Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Funny as sh*t....snow could be heavy at times. Accumulating 24 to 30 inches. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoast NPZ Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 14 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said: I just read that closer. WHAT SNOW SHOWERS drop 12-18"? Heaven on Earth. The best part was those snow showers then turning to snow. Jeezus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozz Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I love snowy mountains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jebman Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 That is what you get with Pacific moisture getting lifted up over the mountains. Its orographics on steroids. I'd shovel those mountain passes out all by myself. I dont know why those passes become impassable, plowers up there must all be pansies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jebman Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 9 hours ago, snowfan said: The big snow events on the pac coast mountains are nuts. I remember once driving from Reno to Tahoe over Mt. Rose and being in awe of the roadside snow poles. Those damn things must've been 15-20 feet tall. Squaw has 94" in the last 7 days. Squaw is currently reporting rain with snow levels above 9k. They anticipate going back to snow tonight with an additional 3-4 feet by Thursday. In general, the west is having a great ski season. Jackson Hole has 272" already this season. They are going to put Jay Peak Vermont to shame. Jay ONLY gets 370 inches a season. The Sierra will get more this season, courtesy of the Pacific snow firehose. It's full-on and there's snow way to turn it off lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jebman Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Mammoth mega-storm expected to drop up to 20 feet; 'God help us' http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-mammoth-storm-20170104-story.html These poor people are crying about all of the snow they are about to get in the next week and a half. Waaaah!! Waaaah!! Waaaah!! Waaaah!! Cry me a fvckin' RIVER!! Newsflash: G-d helps those who help themselves. They need to stop shoving all of those jelly donuts in their fat faces, get their fat asses off of those couches, and get their asses out there digging snow. If they get ambitious enough about it, they can keep up with each storm. They better keep those passes clear too. I dont care if the snow rate is nine inches per hour. It can be done! Don't make me have to come all the way over there to show you Sierrans how to shovel snow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattie g Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Anyone know how often storms like these occur in California during a non-Nino year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nw baltimore wx Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I wonder if that tree made any noise when it fell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercurial Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 turns out it's a bad idea to carve 7 foot wide holes into trees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxdude64 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 12 minutes ago, Mercurial said: turns out it's a bad idea to carve 7 foot wide holes into trees Truth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clskinsfan Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 That really is a shame about the Sequioa tree. That was on my bucket list. Oh well guess i need to add something else instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoast NPZ Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 1 hour ago, clskinsfan said: That really is a shame about the Sequioa tree. That was on my bucket list. Oh well guess i need to add something else instead. Well, there is still a forest of other Sequoias that haven't been vandalized. The novelty of destroying a tree in order to walk/ride through it never appealed to me. I would like to visit this forest one day, to marvel at such grand trees and to touch a living object that stood upon this earth even before Jesus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozz Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 1 hour ago, clskinsfan said: That really is a shame about the Sequioa tree. That was on my bucket list. Oh well guess i need to add something else instead. Well, I think it was only one tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterWxLuvr Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Everyone should visit Sequoia Nat Park. Amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattskiva Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 On 1/8/2017 at 0:59 PM, WinterWxLuvr said: Orographic lift, high elevation, moisture laden air flow = huge amounts of snow. Yeah. Mt. Baker in the Cascades takes the cake with 1,140 inches in the 98-99 season: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases99/aug99/noaa99056.html I've been there twice. Winters in the North Cascades can be somewhat hit or miss. The first time the snow was terrible (in February) and it was warm. The second time, it snowed 8 feet in the 7 days we were there, and the ski area was closed for two days due to extreme avalanche danger. Someone died in a tree well the day they reopened - skiing in-bounds on a marked slope. My understanding is that there are places in Japan that probably get more than any other human habitable area in the world, but they are sparsely populated with no official reporting stations - the combination of northern latitude, steep mountains and copious ocean moisture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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