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Dreaded Northwest Upper Jet Headed into Northern Ca Tonight……High Wind Watch in Effect for Monday……Showers to continue through Monday Ngt
Sunday April 24, 2011
The Dreaded northwest jet will pay a visit Monday to the eastern sierra. Given the time of year and climatology…it could be very windy with this pattern Monday. Showers will continue through Monday night. Winds to 130mph over the crest and gusts to 70mph here locally. The weather will mellow out Tuesday with some very nice weather by Wednesday…..
Discussion:
A short wave upstream was moving toward the west coast this AM while the westerlies continue to move 700mb moisture into the Sierra. While the deepest moisture is certainly along the Ca/OR boarder, there is enough moisture being pushed up over the west side and over the crest to keep showers going here in the Mammoth area. Over the past 24 hours, 27 hundreds have accumulated in the snow melt/rain tip bucket and Mammoth MT reporting another 2 to 4 inches of new. What is interesting is that there have been no radar returns over the Sierra at 37.5N. With the short wave traversing our area today, showers will likely continue.
Tonight/Monday:
An unseasonably strong upper jet will back to the northwest…then will nose into California tonight with another surge of moisture getting entrained to reach the Mammoth area Monday afternoon. Winds at and above 700mb are some 3.5 standard deviation above normal for this time of the year. The surface gradient is forecasted to tighten ahead of the cold front with some indication of an inversion near the crest in the model soundings. Strong winds are therefore expected Monday as they peak toward evening. With precip on the west side along with an isentropic surface with the cold front…..winds could be a real problem in the usual areas like Crowley Lake below Magee Canyon. The pattern is a familur one this time of year for high winds along the lee of the sierra. However, the upper jet max is probably a couple hundred miles north then ideal for the classic Crowley Lake Buster. Well See……..:-)
Long Range:
A series of trofs will continue to visit the west coast through the end of the month and into May. However, there will be some very nice periods of weather in-between!
The Dweeber……………………:-)
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Disclaimer: I have been a hobbyist meteorologist for over 30 years here in the Mammoth area and I do this for my personal enjoyment. The National Weather Service saves lives every day . . . I do not. When making important planning decisions please use information provided by the National Weather Service as they are the most knowledgeable and accurate information source available today.