[pct-l] snowpack

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

As a life-long Santa Barbarian, it appears to me that this is going  
to be one of those dry years. All the native vegetation has awakened.  
Spring has sprung. Hiking in the local hills the ceanothus is  
overwhelming sometimes. Their petals accumulate on the ground like  
snow. It's been warm and hot almost every day this month. With all  
the spring growth, you are right that forest fires will probably be a  
bigger threat this year.

I'm betting we get a really nice February (I can remember so many  
February birthdays where it was 85 degrees.) Fog will probably roll  
in to Santa Barbara in April this year, meaning that the interior  
deserts are gonna be hot (and Santa Barbara will suck until next  
November when the fog finally goes away.)

Anyway, my money is on an average/low snow year for the Sierras.

Diane

On Jan 26, 2011, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> In regards to so much snow in a La Nina:  January of 2011 is  
> shaping up to be one of the driest, if not the driest January in  
> California's history.  If not for the big storm in December, the  
> state would be in an emergency drought situation come this summer.   
> If you look at the snowpack curves, you'll see that as it trends  
> downward through April, there is a higher likelihood that the  
> Sierra will prove to be average or below average snowpack in June.   
> Above normal temperatures are also likely in California through the  
> spring and reaching into the Northwest starting this summer.  It  
> doesn't do a whole lot of good to prognosticate, but I'd be more  
> prepared for forest fires this year, not snowpack.  I'd take a  
> slightly above average snow year instead of an above normal forest  
> fire year any day.
>
>
> Cheers,
>
>
> David L.