It was a cold one this morning…-11 at the Mammoth Ap and -7 at Crestview. The combination of strong radiational cooling, the existing snow cover and low dew points allowed early morning temps to fall to low levels. Temps in the Town of Mammoth were as low as 0 F  this morning.

Latest RAMSIS showing  snow showers over the Northern Sierra and the leading edge of a cloud band that is currently over Alpine County to our north. This leading edge of the cloud shield is shifting south and will begin to increase cloudiness in Mammoth either later this morning or by this afternoon. Since the system is tracking so far west, little or very light amounts of snowfall is expected.  A scant to in inch possibly tonight. Tuesday looks partly cloudy with  highs in the low 30s.

Wednesday will be dry with highs in the mid 30s.

The next system is still being handled differently by the both the EC and the GFS. They have sort of flipped flopped in there thinking. Now the GFS is slower and tapping subtropical moisture from under the ridge.  There is strong blocking pattern associated with this storm and the system will also be tapping very cold Arctic air from a sizable pool up over the NW territories. Some of the coldest air of the season will be released into the far west into the back of this storm, and so the second half of what we get will be very light and powdery. The real question at this point is how quickly it will move through. The slower track will allow for more snow to accumulate. The models at the moment range from 1 to 2 inches of QPF.  But that is significant, at snow to water ratios of 15:1  to 20:1. Once again, more time is needed to fine tune this storm.

Dr Howard and the Dweebs…………………………………………..:-)

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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.