A quick break, then one more quick round.

Apologies for going off line.  I headed up to the mountains to weather out this storm, and was unable to get an internet connection to last more than a few minutes.  And I spent most of my free time, between schussing snow, with a shovel in my hand, dealing with the 54" inches of snow that fell.  Here in Santa Cruz we received over four inches of rain water since Friday night.  Not a shabby total.  This series of storms came in cold, and went out warm.  This has made an upside down snow pack in the Sierra, so if you ski tour, please use extreme caution.  Check out the Sierra Avalanche Center bulletin and maybe allow a few days for the pack to settle out.  For you resort skiers, expect a much thicker base the next time you venture out.  Now, for us here in Santa Cruz, here is what we can expect over the next few days.

The view the day after Thanksgiving.  Kusala Pows in fore ground.  Background now has six feet plus more snow.

Mild today, with some winds off the water.  I saw stars last night, so expect sun this morning.  It is in the low 40s across the west side and should warm up to the upper 50s today.  I'm not sure what it was like down here on the coast, but I know my family will appreciate a fair weather day.  We love snow storms, but after four days of white outs, it is nice to be able to see again.  But by tonight we will begin to see the rain moving in from the north with another bout of cold air.  Christmas Eve, otherwise known as Thursday, will be cold and wet.  And windy.  And gusty.  So, get your downtown errands done today.  Mid 50s.  Temp will drop into the upper 30s on Thursday night, and rain should finish up.  It currently looks like the heaviest rain will fall mid day.  About three fourths of an inch is expected.  Friday morning will be crisp.  Like 30F crisp.  As in it could actually drop below freezing.  With the sun coming out, Christmas Day (Friday) will be quite nice.  Mid 50s.

The weekend looks fair.   Saturday morning will be crisp.  Like 30F crisp.  As in it could actually drop below freezing. Mid 50s and more sun in the afternoon.  Sunday actually looks like a repeat of Saturday.  Perhaps a few more clouds as we see another system approaching from the north.  This one is expected to stay to our north, but we see a slight chance for rain on Monday.  After that, it looks like fair, mild weather through the New Year.