Friday, March 30, 2012

For a few hours this weekend, things are going to get crazy.

Enchanted snow forests are the best to hike through.
Wind, rain, waves and more are all on the way to make for some crazy coastal viewing this coming weekend.  Of if you are lucky, you'll find yourself at elevation where the snow will be falling to add the to two feet we've already received this week.  But before we get to that, the rest of today and most of Friday look pretty nice.   The sun, when it is breaking through the fog here in Santa Cruz, is absolutely warm.  Must be spring time folks.  You know what that means for the Sierra.  That sun is getting baked.  Expect more of the same for Friday when high temperatures will try for the high 60s.  We will have to see how that fog plays out.

Surf is looking fun this afternoon, and a bit of that could hold on through the first half of the day on Friday.  Some time late in the day, perhaps just after sunset, we have a hug fetch baring down almost directly on us.  Just the surf is going to get big.  Like really big, with 20-30 foot seas forecasted just a few hundred miles off the cost.  For those of us lucky enough to be on land, that could mean 15-20 foot (or bigger) short period swell.  Not great for surfing, but it will make a spectacular show.  Match that with some serious wind Saturday morning, and then some rain, it will be a great day for a storm stroll along West Cliff.  Just were your rain gear.

Speaking of rain, it starts to our north later on Friday and will spread south over night and through the morning on Saturday.  You may have an early morning window on Saturday to get out an beat the rain, but once it fills in, it looks like a pretty heavy band will sit on top of us for 6 hours or so.  Maybe make some plans for an afternoon movie, or grab a slicker and some Wellies and go stomping.  Rain should lighten up a bit, but last overnight, a maybe into the morning on Sunday.  On the bright side, high pressure moves in quick and the sun should be out by mid day Sunday.  The weekend will be chilly though, with a cold front moving in Saturday morning.  High 50s both days, but the sun will make it feel warmer on Sunday.  The start of next week looks nice, with mid 60s and sunshine.  But more storms loom on the horizon.

Casey pops off Ooops at Kirkwood.  Antics like this are likely on Sunday.

For you skiers, this past week 1-3 feet of snow has fallen at the resorts.  And snow is coming in this weekend.  Another 18 inches or so.  The not so great news is that at 8500 feet, it will be sunny and in the mid 50s Friday.  And it is almost April.  What that means it is will get baked on Friday and refreeze, hard, by Saturday morning.  While new snow is on the way, that powder from yesterday will be ice.  Maybe make for alate start on Saturday and let a few new inches of fluff fall before heading out.  With some luck, we might even get a bit before the lifts open.  Sunday should start out like a nice powder day.

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