[pct-l] Washington Snow Depths

[CMountainDave@xxxxxxx (CMountainDave@xxxxxxx)]

In a message dated 1/16/03 8:43:56 PM, jeffz@bitstatement.net writes:

<< MT BAKER     80      108       74         88   180/1971    15/1981
STEVENS      45       73       62         70   146/1969     6/1981
SNOQUALMIE   43       65       66         62   123/1969     0/1981
STAMPEDE     45       73       62         54   179/1972     0/1981
PARADISE     66      112       59        107   216/1969    31/1981
WHITE PASS   30       45       67         37    80/2000     0/1981
MT HOOD      54       86       63         94   144/1989     0/1981
 >>

Still early, but if I were to guess today I'd say about a 2 - 3 week early
meltout between 3 and 6000' and a normal melt out above 6000. I was thinking
an extended drought would cause conditions similar to 1981.  Low, but no
cigar! El Nino has apparently caused a rising of the freezing level.
Precipitation has been normal, but it has rained instead of snowed between
3-6000 feet more than normal - hence the low snow totals. Looks like high
pressure is to dominate the last half of Jan with below avg. precip. A warm
Feb with 60's in Seattle??
  Did repeated El Ninos end the ice age by causing yearly average freezing
level to rise over N. America from near sea level to several thousand feet? I
took a picture from a peak bordering the Columbia Icefield.  Another picture
was taken from the same vantage point and in the same direction in 1922.
Above a certain elevation nothing has changed at all. Below it, hundreds of
feet of glacial ice are gone completely. Fluctuating freezing levels caused
by large, semi permanent variations in sea water temp. may be what causes ice
ages to come and go. Or is it the Gulf Stream or lack thereof that is the
culprit. Ice melts, gulf stream ceases, N. hemisphere gets colder, Ice age
starts anew, ice builds up gulf stream starts, ice melts, etc., etc. Or are
the two linked somehow with a cessation of the G. S (caused by Arctic Ocean
meltout), causing less frequent or non existent El Ninos, compounding the
cooling. Who the hell knows