We must be coming toward the end of winter, as this week feels like the finale of an Independence Day firework display. We are getting plenty of all things winter, except perhaps some bitter cold. Still, temperatures are to dip well below average for mid March by the end of the week. The next week to ten days look to be as winter like as they get. We are not out in the clear just yet.
The exciting part of this is we are starting to look like we are in good waters. Reservoirs are beginning to fill up across the sate, with our local Lexington already past high water. And there is more to come with over 3" of water expected along the coast by Monday (and almost 5" along the Sierra Crest). This morning the entire Central California region is blanketed with a grey sky. Rains continue throughout today, finally tapering off in the evening hours. The strongest rains associated with this wave have already passed east of the coast and are impacting the foothills. Still, wet weather should continue throughout the day. Today will also be the warmest day of the week. Slight clearing (or at least a less likely chance of rain) for Thursday, with rain returning by mid day on Friday. Heavy at times in the evening hours and through the night. Again, slight clearing for the weekend, but that just means the rain will be more like sporadic showers. Late Saturday looks like the best chance of not raining. More rain looks likely through next week. The storm door may try to close some time around the 25th. Good luck with that.
A decent sized swell arrived on Monday and settled on Tuesday. Yesterday morning had some favorable winds early, until the gradient shifted SW. This morning we see westerly winds and a building swell. We are expecting a large, long period swell to fill in today. We already see 4'@25sec on the outer buoys. This should build to 9'@20sec during the day near shore. That translates to breaking waves in the 15-18 foot range. Use caution when approaching the ocean today, as these type of swells will often have rogue sets up to 50% larger than the regular sets. These waves can easily sweep one from the rock and into the cold ocean. Still, if you have a hall pass today, you may want to take a walk out toward Maverick's to get a view. Or just enjoy West Cliff here in Santa Cruz. The rest of the week remains well above 10 foot through Saturday. Winds Thursday shift again from out of the south, and get stronger Friday and Saturday. East winds return for Sunday as well as a subsiding swell. Could be a good surf day, unless of course you are a powder hound.
Cause it is snowing. Heavy wet snow has fallen on the mountains in the Sierra above 7000 feet. Real heavy and wet. Still, a foot to several feet has fallen already, resurfacing the resorts and minimizing the bumps. Late last night, the freezing levels began to drop and they are now just below lake level. They will rise again a bit this morning, before dropping behind a cold front. Another foot of snow is expected by tomorrow morning, with snow down to about 5000 feet. Thursday looks less turbulent, but snow showers continue through the day with another 6 inches or so by Friday. Snow and colder air return on Friday, with perhaps another 18" dropping and freezing levels reaching down to 3000 feet during heavy squalls. We are looking at 3-5 foot totals by week's end. The weekend looks cool, showery and likely to be some of the last great powder skiing of the season for the weekend warrior. More snow likely for next week.
If you are headed up to the hills anytime in the next few days, please use caution on your way up. All sorts of hazards will exist. With all the rain and wet weather from the past few days, there is a lot of water on the road. Combine that with drastically dropping air temperatures (it was 40F at 8000' yesterday and will be 20F by Friday), and a fair amount of ice will form on the roads. In many areas, especially in lower elevations (say between 3-5K) the roads will not be snow covered and may look just a bit wet. Expect some black ice in these areas. Further up the road, you may find slush, as fresh wet snow falls on the March sun warmed pavement. This stuff is hydroplane heaven. Once you start to skid in deep slush, there is little you can do other that wait and see what happens. And as always, carry chains, extra food and warm clothing. Some of the passes may close at times over the next few days. Plan for delays, and enjoy the snow.
So, rain for the week ahead. Cooler weather filling in throughout today and lasting into early next week. We know that at some day in the future, there will be sun. We are just not sure how long we will need to wait. Put on those Wellies, and enjoy some stomping knowing that in a few months, we will be wishing there were at least some clouds to break up the boring blue sky.
A decent sized swell arrived on Monday and settled on Tuesday. Yesterday morning had some favorable winds early, until the gradient shifted SW. This morning we see westerly winds and a building swell. We are expecting a large, long period swell to fill in today. We already see 4'@25sec on the outer buoys. This should build to 9'@20sec during the day near shore. That translates to breaking waves in the 15-18 foot range. Use caution when approaching the ocean today, as these type of swells will often have rogue sets up to 50% larger than the regular sets. These waves can easily sweep one from the rock and into the cold ocean. Still, if you have a hall pass today, you may want to take a walk out toward Maverick's to get a view. Or just enjoy West Cliff here in Santa Cruz. The rest of the week remains well above 10 foot through Saturday. Winds Thursday shift again from out of the south, and get stronger Friday and Saturday. East winds return for Sunday as well as a subsiding swell. Could be a good surf day, unless of course you are a powder hound.
No comments:
Post a Comment