0400 temp. at 6350′ in Carnelian Bay: 20.2 deg w/ 94% RH

10″ new 24 hr. snowfall (1/3 storm)

0530 temp. at 6800′ W. Shore TH: 19 deg.

0700 temp. at 8800′: 17.2 deg.

6-12″ new 24 hr. snowfall (1/3 storm)

Backcountry obs.:

Friday’s (1/3) quick hitting storm that looked to bring negligible amounts of snow to the region, over-performed yet again! Even at lake level, precip. started as snow in earnest around noon and continued until nightfall. Temps fell quickly during the storm with the majority of snow falling under a below freezing airmass. To top it all off, another round of cold, light snow fell during the late evening hours, adding another couple inches to afternoon accumulations. By daybreak Sat. (1/4), the storm had left 10″ on North Lake. So much for “inconsequential snow at lake level.”

Sat. I headed out to the West Shore to see how the snowpack is holding up and check on new snow amounts from Friday’s storm. Below 7500′ it’s still low tide with rocks, bushes and the like lurking just beneath the new snow. 5-6″ had fallen near 6800′. Climbing through 7000′, the snowpack builds considerably and so too had new snow amounts from the 1/3 storm. Above 8000′ a solid 12″ of new, lower density snow rested atop a bulletproof rain crust. Even higher up in the backcountry, the new snow had not yet bonded well to the underlying crusts, creating slippy trailbreaking, especially on steep traverses. Snow depths above 8000′ range between 3-5′.

The recent storm vastly improved skiing in the backcountry. While there is a decent snowpack up high on the west shore, it’s still somewhat lumpy in bouldery areas and in some cases, rocks are only covered with the most recent snow. Sharks still lurk. Up high, fast, fluffy initial turns bottomed out with rough, abrupt scrapes underfoot. A few turns conjured the question,”Was that ice or granite?”

Further down-mountain, the lurking crust made itself ever more known into the low tide zone where the greater probability of skiing into a barely-covered rock or snag added a dash of spicy anxiety to each turn.

It’s good and fun out there, but more snow, please.

Weather and forecast thoughts:

The desire for more snow is going to be put on hold for the next few weeks as a pattern dominated by high pressure with few storms and generally above average temps looks to set in to mid-month. Expect sunshine and generally mild temps during the day with highs in the 40s at the lake, 30s in the backcountry.

Early this week a backdoor slider will increase NE winds and drop temps late Mon and Tues (1/6 -1/7). A few snow showers aren’t out of the question with this system, but models are trending pretty dry this morning. Temps behind the system will cool with highs only around freezing for Tues at lake level.

Mainly sunny and mild conditions will return for the rest of the work week with highs in the low 40s, slowly moderating to the upper 40s by late week. Expect inversions to return with morning fog, low clouds and cool temps around the lake, while peaks and ridges experience warmer temps under a dryer airmass. The dry air may help preserve any shady pockets of cold, soft snow in the backcountry that remain from the most recent storm.

This pattern looks to hold strong into the second full week of Jan. with no consistent signals for big storms on the horizon.