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Here is the week's forecast. [DOUBLE CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE] Those big wind gusts that occurred Sunday night are probably not returning. The lows are skimming freezing in some areas, but definitely spring-cold, not winter-cold. Melt-off of snow will occur quickly when the sun returns.Image 6 of 6
The table is set —for making snow balls. That is five inches of fluffy wet snow on March 28, 2022 on the table. Those are not cushions and armrests on those chairs. That is our springtime gift of precipitation for our dry forests. The bonus? It is also beautiful. [Patric Hedlund photo]
Pine Mountain Club, CA (Monday, March 28, 2022 at 2 p.m.)—This is a series of photos from Monday morning’s snowfall, followed by the forecast for this week. The snow is very wet, with over 5 inches accumulated at 6,000 feet in Pine Mountain Club by 10 a.m. It takes just a few minutes of sun to melt this particular snow variety, so by noon when those few minutes of open skies occurred, the snow melt was significant. But welcome to the mountains! The temperature has already dropped. When the clouds close out the sun we have a perfect recipe for icy, slippery, mountain roads. The National Weather Service forecasts lows in the 30s tonight, [see forecast below and in photos at right] with continued snowfall into tomorrow morning.
MICROCLIMATES— The catch is this: we have microclimates in these mountains, which have varying “lows.” One neighbor’s hydrangeas may prosper with a forecast of 37º F lows, while just down the road and around the curve another neighbor will be skidding on black ice to simply walk across their driveway, because their microclime got down to 28ºF. You find these pockets in shady curves, and on roads with bridges that cross creek beds or, for some reason, certain roads in Piñon Pines and Lake of the Woods, as well as in Pine Mountain Club.
So please be alert. Drive slowly and carefully today and tomorrow. The snow plows are out and doing a good job. Let’s reward them, our loved ones and ourselves by arriving to our destinations safely.—Patric Hedlund, TME
This is part of the March 25, 2022 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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