Some people were expecting more. Alright, I was expecting more. Wasn't this supposed to be the biggest El Niño ever. Bigger even than the 1997-98 monster that brought more than 30 inches of rain to California's coast and 451 inches of snow to Mammoth Mountain. Someone at NASA even called the current El Niño a "Godzilla" as it was building back in the fall.
We may not be getting the big dumps that California needs but things could be worse. The Mountain reported 237 inches of snowfall at the Main Lodge through January. That's nearly 140% of average (170.5 inches) for snowfall for that date over the last 43 years. Great start.
Heck, through February the 43 year average snowfall has been just 244 inches and with the storm last week our season total has plumped up to 257 inches. But, February usually sees 73 1/2 inches of snow, it's 55 degrees out and we're looking at clear skies and warm temps for the rest of the month.
Curiously, folks at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, are still predicting normal to above normal precipitation for the rest of the season.
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| Photo NOAA |
you don't load up on popcorn to go to the petting zoo.
MARCH 4 UPDATE: A strong weather system is taking aim at the Sierra Nevada this weekend. The Mountain could see as much as 3 feet of snow. Prospects for continued precipitation throughout the week have diminished somewhat in updated forecasts but the situation remains fluid. Stay tuned.
