[pct-l] Record snow levels in Washington bad news for SOBOs

[Greg Kesselring]

It's still early.  We won't what percentage of normal snowpack we end up 
with until late March/early April.  True, we're ahead of the game now, 
but we have at least as much of the snowfall season ahead of us as 
behind us.

Even after the season's snowpack results are in in early April, our 
springtime weather will obviously affect the meltout.

If we do end up with a snowpack like 98-99 and we get a normal Spring, 
it will make for a really lousy summer hiking season.  (And yes if that 
turns out to be the case, then SOBO's may want to reconsider their 
direction--but wait till May or later before making that call.)

Hiking in WA in September, 1999, felt more like late July in terms of 
snowfields AND bugs.  We never really had a bugless season that year.  
Most years you can expect a serious decline in bugs starting about 
mid-August.  September is usually a bug free month.  But not in 1999.

So let's tell those "Think snow!" folks to cut it out.

Greg

Tom Griffin wrote:
> Looks like 2008 is going to be a bad year for southbounders on the PCT, 
> although it is early in the season and it is possible the snowpack could 
> melt quickly. Here are portions from an article from today's Seattle Times:
>
> Snowfall this season could match record
>
> By Sharon Pian Chan
> Seattle Times staff reporter
>
> If the current weather holds out, snowfall could match the historical 
> record set in 1998-99 when the last strong La Nina rolled in from the 
> Pacific Ocean.
>
> A half-month ago, Western Washington's snowpack was about 50 to 70 
> percent of normal. Since then, snowpack has jumped to 30 to 50 percent 
> above average, which could make for a good water year at local utilities 
> and hydroelectric plants.
>
> "It's amazing -- 1998-99 was our last really big snow season," said 
> Garth Ferber, avalanche meteorologist for the Northwest Weather and 
> Avalanche Center. "If this keeps up, we'll match that at least."
>
> It's too early to tell, with several months still left in the season. 
> But water experts say it's unlikely that the rain will stop and the air 
> will turn warm in the near future.
>
> The season has already proven the deadliest for avalanches in the state, 
> with nine people killed or presumed dead since Dec. 1. Ferber said the 
> death toll is unprecedented, and encouraged people heading into the snow 
> to take precautions. That includes keeping to ridges and valley floors, 
> avoiding steep, open slopes and packing an emergency camp. People 
> without backcountry training should stick to controlled areas such as 
> ski resorts, he said.
>
> In an intense La Nina year, temperature patterns in the Pacific cause 
> changes in the weather pattern. In the Pacific Northwest, temperatures 
> drop and more precipitation falls.
>
> The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center reported 224 inches of snow 
> at Mount Baker, 184 inches at Stevens Pass, 187 inches at Snoqualmie 
> Pass and 218 inches at Paradise on Mount Rainier.
>
> The ski resort at Crystal Mountain said it had 30 percent more snow than 
> usual, about 200 inches, for this time of year. Tiana Enger, spokeswoman 
> for Crystal, said the resort has never had an avalanche or fatality in 
> the patrolled area where they control for avalanches.
>
> More snowpack could also be a boon for spawning salmon later this year. 
> Tom Fox, water-resources manager for Seattle Public Utilities, said that 
> in the utilities' last measurement, snowpack was 110 to 120 percent of 
> normal.
>
> (c) 2008 Seattle Times
>
> -------------------------------------------------------- 
> Tom Griffin
> Seattle
> PCT Pages: http://home.comcast.net/~griffinte/pct.html
>
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