I just got back from the Mt.Rose summit off Highway 431 and it feels like full on winter up there! Winds are gusting between 60-70mph, snow if flying in all directions, and it’s downright cold. Even though lake level is relatively calm at present, having only been brushed by a brief round of rain, the storm has arrived and there’s a proper whiteout in effect above 8,000 feet.
When I got up to the lookout heading north on Highway 431 the Lake showed the signs of what’s to come.
I started hiking out towards the wilderness boundary to get a feel for the incoming system. The winds were strong, the clouds were moving fast, and light precipitation was falling. Snowline hovered at around 8500 feet. About a mile into the hike everything shifted and it was near impossible to see a few feet ahead as the wind and snow intensity jumped 10x in the matter of a few minutes.
It started like this,
And then quickly turned into this,
My crew and I bailed from our hike as we were quickly engulfed by the clouds, winds, and snow, but I have to admit it was pretty sweet to see and feel fresh snow falling from the sky on October 4th. Accumulation will be interesting since the ground isn’t all that frozen yet, but trace pockets of snow started to show when we took off around 5:30 p.m.
We should be back to perfect fall weather by the weekend, but if a foot of new falls in the next 20 or so hours might as well get a few turns in if we can, right?
Here's the latest update from NOAA on our weather:
A WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 7000 FEET REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 2 PM PDT WEDNESDAY. * TIMING: HEAVIEST MOUNTAIN SNOW LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUING INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 6 TO 12 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET...WITH A UP TO 3 INCHES BELOW 7000 FEET. * WINDS: SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH BELOW RIDGES. RIDGE GUSTS NEAR 100 MPH TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. * SNOW LEVELS: 7500 TO 8500 FEET FALLING BELOW LAKE LEVEL BY LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING.