Summary:
The wet and stormy pattern that we’ve been in over the past few weeks will slowly be breaking towards the end of the week and the weekend should bring sunny skies and cool temps for Northern California. The wet weather in the Bay has meant snow in the Sierra and the resorts are cranking up their operations with new snow and tons of stoke ahead of the holidays. Surf along the coast continues to be massive and occasionally affected by strong winds accompanying storms, so unless you’re a Mavericks or XXL Ocean Beach charger, it might be a good time to focus on land-based activities, like eating copious amounts of cheese at Christmas parties.
Around Tahoe:
Since the big storm last week that dropped nearly 24 inches of snow on resorts west of the lake along the Sierra Crest, small, consecutive impulses have added totals upwards of three feet to the early season snowpack. The snow falling this week has been light and dry--perfect powder for the Sierra. I got up to Donner Summit on Sunday for my first backcountry tour of the season. I found cold snow on nearly all aspects below treeline and a fairly consistent snowpack above 7000ft of about 3 feet. Snow depths increased with elevation.
Take a look at Sugar Bowl from around 3:30 this afternoon!
For tomorrow and Friday, expect continued cold in the mountains with occasional snow showers. Another small, weak storm is forecast to impact the Central Sierra on Friday bringing only light amounts of snow to the region, just a refresher for the surface conditions. Temps will remain cold, though, so the snow guns at the resorts will keep firing in hopes of opening even more terrain soon. For the long range it looks as though we get a break in the action next week before more storms could impact the area the week after Christmas.
December 17, 2014 at 6:53am
Human-triggered wind slab avalanches remain possible today. MODERATE avalanche danger exists on wind-loaded NW-N-NE-E-SE aspects 35 degrees and steeper in near and above treeline terrain. Use clues like cornices, drifted snow, ripples in the snow surface, and other wind created textures to help determine where wind slabs may exist. Convex rollovers, areas near rocks, unsupported slopes, couloirs/gullies, and other complex terrain represent the most likely places to trigger wind slabs.Want to learn to recreate safely in the backcountry? Get avy certified! Here are some links to providers of AIARE I certification classes this season.
Hike and Bike Conditions Around the Bay:
Expect rain showers off and on through Friday as a small system impacts the region. Temperatures will remain cool in the upper 50’s to low 60’s during the day with lows in the 40’s at night. As the weekend approaches, expect a clearing trend to take over with continued seasonally chilly temperatures in the 50’s.
Surf Around the Region:
Surf around NorCal continues to be dominated by mid-long period storm swell. As of this afternoon, buoys off of SF were reporting WNW swells of 11ft coming in at 15 seconds. SW winds were also hacking up the surf. If you head out this afternoon, look for sheltered exposures protected from southerly winds.
Short Term Forecast: Expect onshore winds to keep conditions pretty junky through Friday. Once the current storm system moves out of the area, the swell will come down slightly before a new swell fills in that will reach heights of around 15 feet. Saturday might be a great day to visit Mavericks and see some amazing big wave riding as the winds will have come down and the long period swells will be affecting the region. If you paddle out, be careful and respect your abilities.
Tides for Thursday, December 18
High Tides: 7:21am at 6.3, 21:11 at 4.4
Low Tides: 1:05 at 2.5, 14:21 at 2.2
Lindamar: Junky storm surf on tap today. Everything from Taco Bell north isn’t holding up and head high + waves are closing out. The south end of the beach might have a few smaller waves with rideable corners, but all and all things are fairly disorganized.
Bolinas: The guys up at Two Mile Surf Shop are reporting poor conditions with few waves making it through the channel or patch. Water quality is on the poor side too, so it might be best to hop on a bike or trail if you’re up in West Marin.
Ocean Beach: If you’re superhuman and can paddle out through 12-15ft storm surf, today is your day. Giant, jacking surf in the triple overhead range dominates.
Santa Cruz Area: Usually protected, Santa Cruz is a jumbled, storm surf mess today. Even small breaks like Cowells are unruly today. Might be a better bet to go for a hike or decorate the Christmas tree.
There’s fun to be had outside somewhere in Northern California. Get out and get after it!
Steve
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