Spring Rite of Passage: Tioga Pass Prognosticator #11

[Mark Sedenquist]

Don, are you sure that it wouldn't be better at 8:11 or 9:23?

8:09???

Mark

[glc]

I think he really means 06/07 at 08:09 . THAT is symmetrical. I'd pick 05/06 at 07:08 but I don't think there's any way it will be open that early in the season.

[CalOldBlue]

yep; it would have been clearer if I hadn't supressed leading zeros: as an IT type I should have gone with the standard mm/dd hh:mm format in Courier font (on a background of alternating white and green bars).

[Southwest Dave]

The latest Web Cam picture from Sentinel Dome.



Looks pretty lively up there ! Winter storm warning for the area with heavier snowfall predicted for tonight, possibly bringing 2-3ft of new snow.

[Southwest Dave]

More significant snowfall on the high ground through to Monday night. It looks real gloomy from the Web Cam images up there at the moment.

Up to 4 feet of snow possible above 7000 feet.

National weather service.

Winter Storm Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
330 AM PDT SUN MAR 20 2011

CAZ096-097-201900-
/O.CON.KHNX.WS.W.0007.000000T0000Z-110321T1200Z/
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
330 AM PDT SUN MAR 20 2011

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM PDT MONDAY...

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM PDT MONDAY
FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: FROM 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE 4000 FEET AND UP TO
4 FEET ABOVE 7000 FEET.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Yeah, that's looking like a lot of snow. I'm sneaking away from the office for a couple of days in two weeks and Yosemite is looking like a probable destination...

[glc]

June 10th at 4pm.

[glc]

They are definitely getting hit - I-80 is closed, US-50 has level 2 chain controls, CA-88 is closed, CA-120 and CA-41 are closed into Yosemite, and even CA-178 has level 1 chain controls on Walker Pass.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Wouldn't be fun to be in the valley right now....and unable to leave? Sounds fun to me.

Mark

[glc]

You can get in and out - 140 is open. That's the only open entrance/exit right now.

I-80 is reopened with level 2 chain controls to all but semis, but they have closed US-50 for avalanche control.

EDIT: Looks like US-50 is reopened with level 2 chain controls. However, it NOW looks like there's going to be a real problem getting in and out of Yosemite:

SR 140
[IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED TO WESTBOUND TRAFFIC FROM 4 MI EAST OF MIDPINES TO THE
YOSEMITE NAT'L PARK BOUNDARY (MARIPOSA CO) - DUE TO MUD SLIDES - MOTORISTS ARE
ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE