Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board snow in the forecast?

Here's Howard Sheckter's latest forecast;

Posted : Sat, September 09, 2006 at 16:09 PM

"GLOBAL MODELS STILL FOLLOWING THE BEAT TO THEIR OWN DRUM.....HOWEVER THE DANCE SEEM TO BE SIMULAR FOR THE MOST PART.....A COLD UPPER TROF WILL DIG INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND CALIFORNIA BY NEXT THURSDAY....POSSIBLE FIRST NORTHERN SIERRA MTN SNOW FALL (DUSTING) POSSIBLE ABOUT THURSDAY.....MAYBE CENTRAL SIERRA TOO...WELL SEE....HIGHS MAY COOL TO THE MID 50s AND 20s BY FRIDAY....SOMEWHAT HARD TO BUY INTO THIS ALL AS IT IS STILL SEPTEMBER......MAYBE OVER DONE OR MAYBE MOTHER NATURE HAS US IN FOR A SEPTEMBER SUPRISE!!"
SEPTEMBER 9TH:

AS PER PREVIOUS DISCUSSION BELOW.....CONSISTANCY IN THE GFS ENSEMBLES SHOWING 7 OUT OF 10 MEMBERS IN AGREEMENT....SURFACE CHARTS FOR 18Z SUN FROM 06Z GFS LAST NIGHT SHOWS ANOTHER CONSISTANT RUN OF A "NORTH JAPAN SURFACE BOMB"...BOMBING OUT AT ABOUT 970MB SUNDAY AM AROUND 140E, FOLLOWED BY 500MB/1000MB 516DM THICKNESS POOL THE FOLLOWING MONDAY....CYLKE'S LAW :-) SAYS 96 HOURS OF PROPAGATION TIME PUTS THE ENERGY INTO THE WEST COAST ABOUT NEXT THURSDAY MORNING......DEFINETLY UNCONVENTIAL BUT "O" SO TRUE LOTS OF TIMES! THE DWEEBS LIKE IT...STAY TUNED FOR A SEPTEMBER SURPRISE!

LONGER RANGE:

9-8-06 UPDATE: BOTH THE CANADIAN AND GFS GLOBAL MODELS SHOW THE 1ST STRONG PUSH OF COLD AIR OFF ASIA THIS COMING SUNDAY MORNING. SURFACE CYCLOGENUS DEVELOPS OFF JAPAN.....THIS SYSTEM IS FOLLOWED BY A SMALL 516DM THICKNESS POOL ON MONDAY NEAR 135EAST. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST COOL POOL OFF ASIA THAT INIATES A PATTERN CHANGE GOING INTO FALL. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE CANADIAN MAY BE CORRECT IN ITS DOWN STREAM SOLUTION OF A COLD TROF FOR THE FAR WEST NEXT WEEKEND. THE DWEEBS ARE ON IT!!!! STAY TUNED....................>

It always saddens me to hear the first snow especially when it's this early. I remember some years when the snow came in September though it usually melted pretty quick. In the book Solomons of the Sierra, historian Shirley Sargent describes a a snow storm in the central Sierra in late September. She tells how young Theodore Solomons and his friend panicked when it started to snow. As soon as it was over the next day, they made their way out to Shaver Lake as quickly as possible. When John Muir heard about Solomon's flight, he laughed saying that it was too early in the season to be running. Well, you can never be too careful - especially on Mt. Whitney.

"Well, you can never be too careful - especially on Mt. Whitney."

Here's an account of some people on the Whitney Trail that got surprised by snow in August 2005 .

Also, I seem to recall a report of a snowstorm many years ago in August where people hiking along the Eastern Sierras and Mt. Whitney had trouble finding their way out because of snow covering the trails.

I was just reading a special weather statement from the Sacramento office of the NWS. This Friday may be one of the ten coldest September 15ths in history. The last times September 15 was colder than normal was in 1977 and 1986 according to NWS. NWS is warning that this Friday and onward may be colder. That's northern California, but Mt. Whitney is not too far off.

Assuming appropriately layered, is light snow a reason to turn around from a safety standpoint?

Snow is the greatest danger for hikers, especially California hikers who have little experience with winter conditions. Not only does one have to contend with cold, wetness, and wind, but sometimes trails get obliterated. I and a friend were caught by an overnight snow storm on southeast Shasta and we spent several hours looking for the trail.

Weather changes rapidly at high altitudes and gets worse with altitude.

If your group includes inexperienced and weak hikers, I would definitely turn around. It's difficult to get lost on the Whitney trail, but it can get real cold.

dr.kenny
The definition of light snow is the amount of snow for which you are appropriately layered, and otherwise prepared.
Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

Thanx.
Hoping for the best, expecting the worst.
Dr.Kenny

totally different part of the Sierra, but it is snowing pretty hard here in Truckee @ 6k ft. winter is coming

Well, I was going to do my Sierra and Whitney trip next year in mid-September, but I think I'll do it late August instead.

I'm sure the crowds will be much worse (especially at Yosemite), but at least the chance of snow will be greatly diminished and I'll get an extra 45 minutes or so of daylight per day as well, which adds up over a 5-7 day trip.

One should be prepared for all weather conditions when doing Whitney,no matter what time of year it is,so a little snow in September should not be a problem for most people.Anyone with Sierra experience can more than likely tell you about snowfall in all 12 months of the year. Be ready for everything, than nothing can ruin your trip.