HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

A big Nor'easter is headed for NY/NJ over the next couple days. Fortunately it should be nearly all rain here, but parts of upstate NY could get a couple feet of snow. We've been lucky to have more of our precipitation in liquid form, since we'll probably finish the week 5"-6" inches ahead of average for the year. That would have made a lot of shoveling under the wrong conditions.

Northcentral Montana is getting hit hard. This is the road north of Browning known as Duck Lake Road that we took to Glacier Park last year outside of Browning.
East Glacier has received 80 inches of snow above average. They now have 234 inches of snow. My hometown had 78 inches, a record.
I wonder how the bison herd is surviving along here let alone the few ranches in this area.


http://www.ktvh.com/2018/02/historic-sn ... rd-warning

So I adjusted my possible dates for my Glacier backpacking permit to a week later.

@tibber
Yeah, it's been a really strange winter, with most of the storms going north of the persistent high pressure ridge that kept us and California balmy and warm, and in to places like Montana. Good for them, though, since the prior winter was dry, I think, and the fire situation up there was beyond ridiculous last summer. My guess, is the track of the lows will vary the next few months, but Montana is going to continue to see accumulations that add to the records. I'll add: the current storm affecting California is months overdue, and fantastic, but hardly enough to really mitigate their drought long term, They need about 6 more of them! More than likely, that won't happen and once a high builds back in over us, and our warm spring begins, it will snow some more up north.

big_load wrote:Fortunately it should be nearly all rain here, but parts of upstate NY could get a couple feet of snow.

Unfortunately, the rain/snow line wound up ~30 miles south and east of the original estimate, so we'll have a heavy, wet foot of snow. We're a little over halfway there now.

@big_load
I LOVE hearing that as I sit here in my little RV by the river, wearing my summer shorts and flip-flops!

azbackpackr wrote:I LOVE hearing that as I sit here in my little RV by the river, wearing my summer shorts and flip-flops!

Is there a difference between your summer and winter shorts? Mine are the same.

azbackpackr wrote: ↑Mar 02 2018 2:17 pm @big_load
I LOVE hearing that as I sit here in my little RV by the river, wearing my summer shorts and flip-flops!

It's rotten snow, too, not even remotely suitable for skiing.

@rcorfman
It's always summer wherever I am!

Models can change, but it looks like California, including southern California, and parts of our fair state will get a bit more precipitation over the next 7 days. Maybe the Sierra Nevada will end up receiving 50% or more of their "normal" snowpack, for the season peaking April 1? I'm not seeing a lot for the Phoenix Watersheds, other than the Verde River area, but the Peaks will likely get more for anyone interested in attempting those in snow this season. Just remember, March sun is strong and snow gets sloppy fast, up there.

Still, I would have much rather had this in January, and be enjoying some balmy days in the desert.

big_load wrote: ↑Mar 02 2018 1:16 pm

big_load wrote:Fortunately it should be nearly all rain here, but parts of upstate NY could get a couple feet of snow.

Unfortunately, the rain/snow line wound up ~30 miles south and east of the original estimate, so we'll have a heavy, wet foot of snow. We're a little over halfway there now.

We did get a foot out of the first one, but the second was worse. Mrs. big_load was on the road, so I shoveled for four hours on Wednesday night and two hours Thursday morning. I hope the next one misses us entirely.

@big_load
I was gonna post a question asking how you were faring through round two! M&D got over a foot over in Conn.

Looks like (if models end up being accurate at nearly 7 days out) the desert, and some of the driest parts of the desert, may have a wet weekend next weekend.

As is often the case this far out, the models seem to be arguing with one another and drifting farther apart. Can't we all just get along?

Well, as seems to be the case for us, the storm was canceled. We appear to remain dry for the 7 day period.

Looks like the models are trying to get the band back together. At least up north...

We're dug out again in NJ, having topped four feet of snow over the last 3 weeks. There was another storm forecast for Sunday, but the pattern may finally break. The sun was out today, too, which was really nice. I could use some red rocks and cactus.

Nice day for a hike with the family after the recent storms. PP got some healthy snow.

100°
Welcome to PHX. Summer is here.

chumley wrote:100°
Welcome to PHX. Summer is here.

It's hard to fathom. We had snow again in NJ this morning. March was almost uniformly 10F below average, and April is closer to 20F too cool. It may hit the 70s this weekend, though.

ETA: Now they're saying we could hit 80. It doesn't seem real. We've barely cleared 45 so far.

Is it me, or does this spring seem A LOT more windy than the last 3 I remember, in Arizona. I don't remember these frequent howling dust storms or these white out vistas for the last few years, certainly not in 16 or 17, since I was in Phoenix, but I also don't remember them in 15 in Tucson. I canceled my leave and trip to Anza Borrego due to that mid-March storm that would have rained on me, and now they are calling for 60 to 65 mph winds near Mortero Palms and in the Borrego Badlands.