snowpack on mt san jacinto

I put in a posthole track the entire way up, but crampons (with an ice axe) were essential at that time on the upper switchbacks above about 8300 ft due to the typical steeply angled ice obscured underneath 6-12 inches of powder (photos below). Although good tracks are now in place for most major trails (details below), cautious navigation is recommended everywhere. Two new trees were down on the upper trail, unsurprising given the huge weight of ice from freezing rain plastered all over the trees. Despite warmer temperatures on some days, hikers should be prepared for temperatures near freezing in the high country, and generally below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). There are layers of hard ice and firm icy snow beneath the fresh powder, and crampons are ideal at present everywhere above 9000 ft, lower in places. Trails above about 8500 ft currently remain lightly covered with patchy icy snow (more continuous above about 9000 ft on the west side, 9900 ft on the east). South Ridge Trail [hiked 13th and 17th December] has a well-traveled posthole track through shallow snow as far as Tahquitz Peak. San Jacinto Peak (10810 ft): 37-42 inches, drifted >50 inches especially on east flank, Little Round Valley (9800 ft): 42-46 inches, heavily drifted, Seven Pines Trail junction with Deer Springs Trail (8700 ft): 35 inches, Annies Junction/PCT Mile 180.8 (9070 ft): 44 inches, Saddle Junction/PCT Mile 179 (8070 ft): 21 inches, Devils Slide trailhead at Humber Park (6550 ft): 0-2 inches. The USFS gate at Humber Park remains closed. This rain produces huge masses of ice in the trees, including many chunks I have estimated as weighing 40-100 lb this winter, which can dislodge dramatically once direct sunlight warms the trees. Indeed it rained as high as San Jacinto Peak multiple times on 7th and 8th November. They are strongly recommended on certain moderate and higher angle slopes, at a minimum on the Peak Trail above Wellman Divide, the Wellman Trail, Deer Springs Trail above Little Round Valley, and uppermost South Ridge Trail, and on both flanks but critically on the north face of Tahquitz Peak. Alternatively snowshoes could have been used, depending on personal preference and time of day. Hundreds of SoCal students snowed in at mountain camps for days. While snowfall accompanying the first of those storms may be light, perhaps 2-4 inches in Idyllwild and 4-6 inches in the high country, strong winds at the highest peaks are tentatively forecast to produce extremely cold windchill conditions, similar to 15th February (see below). Rain has continued solidly today in Idyllwild, with another 0.90 inch since 0700 this morning. "The biggest issue with the snow levels is the . A light snowfall on the evening of Tuesday 21st will be accompanied by very strong winds, and is expected to largely or completely eliminate all tracks above about 7000 ft. All trails above about 5000 ft are currently lightly (or above 8000 ft, moderately) snow-covered. There was a dusting of snow in Garner Valley (4300 ft). Precipitation at the elevation of Idyllwild fell largely as rain (1.79 inches) before turning to thunder snow starting at 1235 on Sunday afternoon (currently accumulated to 1.5 inch but still snowing as I write this). potentially dangerous) windchill temperatures. Eli Lilly cuts insulin prices up to 70% amid federal pressure to lower costs of life-saving medication, 60 million under winter weather alerts as massive storms roll across US; New York finally gets snow: Live updates, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Be prepared for trails above about 7500 ft (lower in places) obscured by moderate to deep snow, and even fresh tracks being erased by spindrift snow in places. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 15th February 2023 are as follows. PCT Mile 181.8 (9070 ft): 4-5 inches (5.5 inches on 12th December), Marion Mountain Trail at junction with PCT (8700 ft): 4-6 inches (6 inches on 12th December), Long Valley (8600 ft): 3-4 inches (5-6 inches on 12th December), Strawberry Junction (8100 ft): 3 inches (4 inches on 12th December), Saddle Junction/approx. Note that temperatures fluctuating either side of freezing are forecast for both mid and upper elevations for the foreseeable future. South Ridge Trail has been broken from the top of South Ridge Road to Tahquitz Peak with a simple posthole track. For those that are unclear, the Skyline Trail is the first segment of the C2C (Cactus to clouds) from Palm Springs up to Grubbs Notch (Long Valley). SNOW DEPTHS measured on 30th January 2023 (unless otherwise indicated) and checked again on 1st February are as follows. Mammoth Lakes, traditionally one of the snowiest places in California, had nearly 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow over the past three days. In fact on my hike to San Jacinto Peak on Monday 13th through steady morning snow I could barely tell the difference in snow depths from the previous week, as the few inches of fresh snow had almost exactly replaced the few inches of depth that had melted over the previous week. The lower half of the trail in particular is very icy. Consequently the next comprehensive Report update will probably be published on Wednesday 15th February. Final totals for Idyllwild for the three day storm event were 6.5 inches of snow, plus an impressive 5.06 inches of rain. All trails above about 6500 ft are currently lightly, or above 8000 ft moderately, snow-covered. At the Peak on Monday 6th February 2023 at 0930 the air temperature was 11.1F (-12C), with a windchill temperature of -11.0F (-24C), 59% relative humidity, and a frigid NNW wind sustained at 12 mph gusting to 20.2 mph. Spikes are recommended at least for descending upper Deer Springs Trail. Very shallow snow is often icy and potentially perilous, while deeper powder can actually be much safer, albeit slow-going for hiking. PCT Mile 179.9 (8070 ft): 3 inches, Devils Slide Trail at Humber Park (6550 ft): 2.5 inches (melting already underway this afternoon). My 2022 survey counted 97 trees down on this 2.1 miles of trail. Recent hikes have included the high peaks (>10,000 ft) 2-4 times per week by various routes, Tahquitz Peak and area 1-2 times per week, South Ridge, Spitler Peak, and Marion Mountain trails, and May Valley Road and Indian Mountain Truck Trail. No, it wasn't snowfall in the Santa Cruz Mountains or at Mt. That is expected to change, with up to several inches of snow forecast both in the high country and at mid elevations tonight. Southwest Montana snowpacks rebounded in February after storms dumped an impressive amount of snow on the area's river basins, according to a Natural Resources Conservation Service report . Hikers should anticipate new treefall hazards in trails we have already found one major new one on the Ernie Maxwell Trail and also that tracks in snow may have been obscured by windblown drifting powder. Black Mountain Road closed on 7th November to vehicle traffic at the gate 1.7 miles up from Highway 243 (see Forest Service website regarding this closure here). An additional 5.5 inches of snow fell in Idyllwild overnight, rather more than forecast, meaning we had to dig out yet again this morning. The first number is the current average total snow depth at that location followed in parentheses by the maximum depth where known so far this winter, generally immediately following the major storm sequence on 14th-17th January 2023. However excellent well-traveled and compacted tracks are now in place for almost all major trails (details below). Altitudes are approximate. Marion Mountain Trail (surveyed at least weekly in past month) has a very well-defined track to follow. (For readers who are unclear, Skyline Trail forms the lower two-thirds of the Cactus-to-Clouds [C2C] route.) Although not required, some hikers will find spikes useful especially for descending. The trail is largely clear of snow from Highway 243 to Strawberry Junction, and with about 60% snow cover from there up to 8600 ft. Marion Mountain Trail [updated 22nd December] has a well-defined but lumpy posthole track throughout. Be prepared for trails above about 8000 ft (perhaps lower in places) completely or largely obscured by moderate to deep snow. Deep snow at 10,500 feet Windy, with a west wind 45 to 55 mph decreasing to 35 . Snow cover remains virtually continuous, but a few small patches are clearing below 7000 ft. Spikes are strongly recommended, at least for descending. Two significant further atmospheric river storm systems are forecast, on Tuesday 10th, and then again on Saturday 14th-Sunday 15th. Black Mountain Road closed on 7th November to vehicle traffic at the gate 1.7 miles up from Highway 243 (see Forest Service website regarding this closure here). Sign up for Alert San Diego notifications for all your telephone numbers. Multiple mild storm systems are forecast to bring extremely unsettled weather to the San Jacinto mountains starting Tuesday 27th December, lasting well into the first week of January. Spikes are currently usefulthroughout the trail system above about 6000 ft, possibly lower in places on cold (icy) mornings. Prior to this storm, conditions had been extremely unsettled for about ten days, with four storms in a week, although only one of those was a significant snow-producing system. The first number is the current total snow depth, followed in parentheses by the storm total for this latest storm 11th-12th December. Conditions immediately following the second Pacific storm, and the first significant snowfall, of winter 2022/23 that impacted the San Jacinto mountains on 8th-9th November were summarized in the previous Report. As evident in the video, spikes are currently needed at least, and snowshoes would be ideal especially for sections that have not yet been traveled. Sunrise was at 6:20 am and sunset will be at 5:38 pm; the daylight will last for 11h and 18min. Vehicles not parked in these spaces may be ticketed and/or towed. At the Peak on Wednesday 15th February 2023 at 1030 the air temperature was 4.9F (-15C), with a windchill temperature of -26.3F (-32C), 65% relative humidity, and a bitter due North wind sustained at 19 mph gusting to 27.7 mph. UPDATE Thursday 5th January 2023: We are just catching the southern edge of the highly-publicized storm currently passing through central California. When the gate is closed there are still nine legal parking spaces this side of the locked gate (which still require an Adventure Pass or equivalent to be displayed). SNOW DEPTHS measured (largely) on 21st November 2022 are as follows, with depths from 9th November 2022 in parentheses where known. Currently the USFS gate at Humber Park is closed. My tracks from Wednesday 18th January from Humber Park to/from San Jacinto Peak will be largely visible but may become somewhat obscured in places. PCT Mile 179.9 (8070 ft): <1 inch (was 3 inches on 9th), Devils Slide Trail at Humber Park (6550 ft): 0 inch (was 2.5 inches on 9th), Idyllwild (at 5550 ft): 0 inch (was <1 inch on 9th), [UPDATED 24th November: we took a brisk hike up and down Marion Mountain and upper Deer Springs trails to San Jacinto Peak early this morning. Overall, melting is proceeding somewhat faster than expected but this holiday weekend trails will remain very icy. Further light snow is expected starting this evening, followed by much heavier snow overnight on 28th February-1st March. About 6-10 inches of snow are forecast for the high country on Saturday 14th, with 1-2 inches possible at the elevation of Idyllwild (preceded by 1-2 inches of rain). Generally considered a moderately challenging route. South Ridge Trail is now functionally clear of snow to Tahquitz Peak with only 1-2% icy snow cover overall. Hikers should be prepared for temperatures near or below freezing in the high country, and generally well below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). However, snowshoes will become increasingly useful as snow depths increase over the coming days; they may initially be useful as low as 4000 ft, steadily rising to 5000-6000 ft next week. San Jacinto Peak (10810 ft): 10 inches (was 12 inches on 9th), Little Round Valley (9800 ft): 7-8 inches (photo above), Wellman Divide (9700 ft): 3 inches (was 4 inches on 9th), Round Valley (9100 ft): was 4 inches on 9th, Annies Junction/approx. Eventually with compaction of the trails caused by increasing hiker traffic and freeze/thaw cycles snowshoes may steadily become less useful, however they will remain valuable for off-trail travel in the high country well into February. On the morning of Monday 6th February I ascended San Jacinto Peak for the fifth time in the past two weeks, this time via the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, Peak, and East Ridge trails), descending the same way. At San Jacinto Peak (10,810ft/3295m) on Tuesday 27th December 2022 at 0850 the air temperature was 31.2F (-1C), with a windchill temperature of 15.1F (-9C), 31% relative humidity, and a sharp WSW wind sustained at 17 mph gusting to 26.1 mph. The storm sequence starts with a minor storm on the night of Tuesday 21st, which may only produce 2-3 inches of snow at all elevations, but accompanied by high winds and bitterly cold temperatures. Trail conditions are updated below. This is expected to be a seasonal closure until next year. Although my original track accurately followed the trail above Little Round Valley, there are now a fair number of alternate shortcut tracks across this slope, so cautious navigation is advised. 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