Saturday's stats:
Low temp: 34.2F (1.2C)
High temp: 37.4F (3.0C)
Precipitation since midnight: 1.45" (3.7cm) -- rain and melted snow
Precipitation since Thursday night: 3.90" (9.9cm) -- rain and melted snow
24 hour snowfall: 5.5" (14.0cm)
Although there's been some clearing this evening, our skies are still partly to mostly cloudy after sunset, with evidence of more snow showers threatening to our west. The stats above give the details on what has been a very interesting day, and what has turned out to be a very wet and white period beginning late Thursday night. Today has been the coldest calendar day of this entire winter season, and we've also had the snowiest day of this winter -- by far. In addition, the total rain and melted snow since Thursday night is nearly 4 inches, which isn't far from the average total for the entire month of February.
The heaviest snow occurred between mid-morning and noon, with huge flakes creating very low visibility for a couple of hours, and delivering widespread 2-5 inch totals right across McLeod Ganj -- with reports of more than a foot of snow a bit further uphill in Naddi, Dharamkot and Upper Bhagsu. Based on normal rain:snow ratios, it makes sense that there has been more than 3 feet of snow between Magic View Cafe and Triund. We've now got the thickest and heaviest snow pack of the season on the higher slopes and mountains above us, which is very great news. It may turn out that the last 36-48 hours will end up being remembered as the highlight of the 2013/2014 winter season.
A huge pool of very cold air and a broad (though weakening) upper-level circulation remain right over northern India this evening, and will shift only slowly eastward tonight into Sunday. Although the deep moisture supply has now been pretty much cut off, there will be enough instability to keep a good chance of a round or two of snow showers in the forecast overnight -- and even a mentionable risk of a snow shower in the area tomorrow as well. In other words, we're not entirely out of the woods just yet.
Major improvement will kick in in earnest on Monday into Tuesday, as a building ridge of high pressure provides a big bump in temperatures and what should be a couple of days of reliable sunshine. There are signs of another period of disturbed weather toward the end of next week, but right now it doesn't look like anything compared to what we've just been through.
CURRENT FORECAST info can be found on the tab above.
Low temp: 34.2F (1.2C)
High temp: 37.4F (3.0C)
Precipitation since midnight: 1.45" (3.7cm) -- rain and melted snow
Precipitation since Thursday night: 3.90" (9.9cm) -- rain and melted snow
24 hour snowfall: 5.5" (14.0cm)
Although there's been some clearing this evening, our skies are still partly to mostly cloudy after sunset, with evidence of more snow showers threatening to our west. The stats above give the details on what has been a very interesting day, and what has turned out to be a very wet and white period beginning late Thursday night. Today has been the coldest calendar day of this entire winter season, and we've also had the snowiest day of this winter -- by far. In addition, the total rain and melted snow since Thursday night is nearly 4 inches, which isn't far from the average total for the entire month of February.
The heaviest snow occurred between mid-morning and noon, with huge flakes creating very low visibility for a couple of hours, and delivering widespread 2-5 inch totals right across McLeod Ganj -- with reports of more than a foot of snow a bit further uphill in Naddi, Dharamkot and Upper Bhagsu. Based on normal rain:snow ratios, it makes sense that there has been more than 3 feet of snow between Magic View Cafe and Triund. We've now got the thickest and heaviest snow pack of the season on the higher slopes and mountains above us, which is very great news. It may turn out that the last 36-48 hours will end up being remembered as the highlight of the 2013/2014 winter season.
A huge pool of very cold air and a broad (though weakening) upper-level circulation remain right over northern India this evening, and will shift only slowly eastward tonight into Sunday. Although the deep moisture supply has now been pretty much cut off, there will be enough instability to keep a good chance of a round or two of snow showers in the forecast overnight -- and even a mentionable risk of a snow shower in the area tomorrow as well. In other words, we're not entirely out of the woods just yet.
Major improvement will kick in in earnest on Monday into Tuesday, as a building ridge of high pressure provides a big bump in temperatures and what should be a couple of days of reliable sunshine. There are signs of another period of disturbed weather toward the end of next week, but right now it doesn't look like anything compared to what we've just been through.
CURRENT FORECAST info can be found on the tab above.
