Its Gonna Be a Scorcher Out There. Or, At Least Quite Warm.

Sister's cirque and Heart Chute are filled in

I've got a sunburn.  I guess that is what happens when you go outside at 8,000 feet, on 7 meters of snow with only one application of sunblock.  After the sun finally comes out.  It is sunny out there, and in case you have not noticed, we have had a pattern change.  It is now going to be mostly sunny and warm, punctuated by brief periods of cooling and possible light precipitation.  Get ready for some real warmth over the next few days.  The work week looks spectacular, and the weekend sees some cooling (and a very slight chance of some rain).

We had a spell of rain overnight Sunday in Santa Cruz.  Just enough to wet the pavement and get a little water flowing.  Still, it was very light considering the previous week. And that marked the end of it for at least several days.  High temperatures are on the rise.  Both Monday and Tuesday were quite pleasant, but the real warmth should peak for us on Thursday.  We will see temperatures across the coastal region ranging from 70-80+ degrees over the next three days.  The central valley will begin to warm up, and down around King City, it may break the 90F mark.  If you have a chance to get out and enjoy a bit of this weather, it is highly recommended.  Even if you work all day, an enjoyable evening stroll is possible with light past 7PM.  Saturday sees a brief period of cooling, with a very slight chance of rain on the coast, and a greater chance for snow and rain in the Sierra.  So the best is going to be over the next few days.

Kirkwood continues to offer up the goods.

The snowpack is pretty darn deep up there right now.  The official report comes out in the next few days.  Continuos snow pack is evident down below 4000 feet on the west slope.  At 3000 feet, the earth is clear of all snow.  At 8000 feet, over 20 feet of snow is on the ground.  Houses are buried.  Some completely.  So, there is a lot of water being stored up there right now.  As we see greater warmth and higher sun angles, the melt will begin.  This week should set some of the rivers raging, and early season river runners will be eying some big lines as early as Friday.  As for the snowpack, it is a changing.  As we shift from a winter to a spring snowpack, period of instability will occur.  Use caution if traveling in the back country.

The past few days offered up some excellent snow on north and east facing aspects.  Monday was a transition day from cold snow to not so cold snow.  Tuesday started firm, like typical spring snow, but was soft by 10:30 all over the hill.  If you like skiing in a T-shirt, this week is the time to do it.  It may hit 70F in a few resort parking lots on Thursday.  So bring your flip flops and beer.  And you don't need to be ready first thing in the morning.  By Saturday, we will be back into cooler temps, with daytime highs in the 30s and 40s on the hill.  There is also a decent chance for 3-6" of fresh snow late Saturday.  With a high in the mid 40s and some sun forecast for Sunday, it may be real good out there for a few hours in the morning.  After that, we return to spring skiing.  And this spring it is going to last for quite some time, with a few Tahoe resorts staying open until Memorial Day to get the most out of the deepest snowpack in decades.

What a friend calls Hepatitis Falls.

Water continues to drain out of the Santa Cruz Mountains.  The ground is still wet up in the hills.  Creeks are open and sandbars are being formed.  This will be an interesting spring and summer for surfers, as we have a lot more sand in play that usual.  We may find breaks we never knew existed before.  Over the next few days, we have moderate wind swell in the head high range with northerly (and a touch of east) winds.  It should be decent out there, and with the warm air, definitely worth a paddle out.  Late on Friday sees the arrival of a double over head ground swell, and a return to winter surf.  We may get a bout of south winds on Saturday, mucking things up, but there is also the chance that the storm will stay way north and not effect us.  Regardless, avoid river mouths and areas of run off, and avoid getting sick.

Nice weather for the next three days.  Very nice.  California beach weather.  We are getting this just days after it snowed in D.C. and Maine received single digits temperatures along its coast.  It is amazing how quickly we can shift this time of year.  Saturday sees some cooling and a chance of brief showers.  Things begin to warm up again next Sunday and into next week.  Around the 13th, we see a chance of some more storms.  More on that later.