Difference in snowfall b/t east and west side of Sierra National Forest? (living, swimming)

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by freedom125

How much snow?

Oakhurst is about the same elevation as my house. It usually doesn't get cold enough in the winter to snow and when it does, it disappears quickly.

Having said that, last week we got 8 inches in 2.5 hours. Unusual deposition. Our real estate mantra is "Above the fog, below the snow".

Sometimes we're a few inches below the snow.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by Senno

Less than they used to. I guess your numbers are fairly accurate. Ain't driven up there in a while for a looksee.



Cause they get enough snow to snowmobile? I don't know if they are running snowmakers up there. They are at a higher elevation than Oakhurst. Oakhurst is more hilly than mountainous. And Whisky Snowmobile is at a higher elevation in a more mountainous area.

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I spent to much time rolling downhill to take note if I was facing north by northeast.

Outdoorsmen should constantly orient them selves to direction and topography, saves wandering around lost. And yes, folks ski out of ski areas all the time. and get lost, and need rescue. Them folks ain't oriented.

[Senno]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

Outdoorsmen should constantly orient them selves to direction and topography, saves wandering around lost. And yes, folks ski out of ski areas all the time. and get lost, and need rescue. Them folks ain't oriented.

I got my official boy scout training at Camp Chawanakee up by Shaver Lake. Passed my orientation course with flying colors. Ain't got lost yet, fortunately.

Originally Posted by DMenscha

Our real estate mantra is "Above the fog, below the snow".

We do get a lot of commuters from Oakhurst and other hills communities in Fresno.

I think they are generally above the smog also, hehe.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Bulldogdad

Elevation

The Fontucky award for brevity is hereby awarded to Bulldogdaddy.

[Senno]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

The Fontucky award for brevity is hereby awarded to Bulldogdaddy.

Speech! Speech!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

On a side note, with the exception of weather gaps (e.g. major breaks in the continuity of the Sierra Crest) such as the one around Mammoth, if you pick two same elevation points on the Western Slope and the Eastern Front, and those points are both above the average snow sticking level, The Western Slope has hugely more snow than the Eastern Front. Simple orographics. The Western Slope snow will often come as Sierra Cement and the Eastern Slope snow less moist, more often powder.

Complications: Tonopah Lows (e.g. systems that either barely affect or don't affect CA west of the crest, they come straight down from North Central Canada and lodge in the Great Basin), which bring snow showers that move from N to S or even NE to SW. That can add to the dump on the East Front and may leave the West completely dry.

[Senno]

So a tonopah low is different than in inside slider? Or can an inside slider also be a tonopah low?

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by Senno

I got my official boy scout training at Camp Chawanakee up by Shaver Lake. Passed my orientation course with flying colors. Ain't got lost yet, fortunately.

That was probably map and compass work, I speak of internal orientation, you should walk outside any where in the world and immediately orient yourself to north and south.

Originally Posted by Senno

So a tonopah low is different than in inside slider? Or can an inside slider also be a tonopah low?

A Tonopah low is the low pressure front after it passes through the Sierra and wanders off toward Tonopah. It is characterized by a cold East wind, and can sometimes blow all that good powder back over the crest stripping the ski area bowls of the good stuff.

Bulldogdad is right, to a point. If you go to the crest you will often find little or no snow on the west side, and a huge deposition on the east side. That is due to the high ambient winds over the crest stripping the snow off the windward side through a process called saltation. The winds will create the grand cornices which always grow in the leeward side, and are a leading trigger of avalanches.

One can generally assume that a leeward slope (east) is dangerous after a storm and a windward (west) is safe. I looked for a good photo on the net and did not get one, but, the one below shows a reasonable view. This is Alpine Meadows.

The right side is the leeward, the amount of snow on it tells us that the storm was not a wind event, however, look at the flagged trees, that is, the trees whose branches grow on the leeward (left) side, that tells us the ambient winds over the crest are high. If you look on the left side of the image, that is the deposition zone, the snow gets very deep there, which is why it is skied. And, note the trees are not flagged, this tells us that the winds on the leeward slope, the east slope, are low speed. That allows the snow to fall into the hill. And I have no idea what an inside slider is.

[.highnlite]

Leeward slope with cornices

excellent image of leeward slope, note flag tree on windward slope


Note the vegetation difference between the windward and leeward slopes

[Senno]

Originally Posted by .highnlite

That was probably map and compass work, I speak of internal orientation, you should walk outside any where in the world and immediately orient yourself to north and south.

It was. But I've always had a great sense of direction. /shrug