November 7, 2014

   Can still see the snow line.

    Rivers and lakes are at maximum capacity.

    River of Golden Dreams, there is a dock there, somewhere!                                                          

    Super Typhoon Nuri is moving into the North Pacific.

Unfortunately, another super typhoon formed in the Western Pacific this past weekend that has tied with Super Typhoon Vongfong as the strongest storm of 2014. Super Typhoon Nuri peaked on Sunday (November 2, 2014) with sustained winds near 180 miles per hour (mph) or 290 kilometers per hour (kmh). Nuri has weakened since the weekend, and it is expected to stay east of Japan as it pushes off to the northeast into the northern Pacific Ocean. A trough will pick up Nuri, and the models are expecting the storm to bomb out near the Bering Strait. The storm has the potential to become the strongest storm in that region in recorded history. Nuri’s size and magnitude will likely influence the jet stream’s orientation over the Northern Hemisphere, thus resulting in an extreme weather pattern across North America. 




Article on Nuri

By the middle of the weekend, this new version of Nuri may test the record books as the strongest extra-tropical cyclone ever observed. Computer models have consistently produced some eye-popping numbers for where it will reach its max intensity, ranging from the 900s to 920s (millibars). For reference, the strongest extra-tropical storm ever recorded is ~913mb (records aren’t *great* for this type of measurement, but it’s a good approximation).

   Big picture from yesterday morning. Lots of moisture from Typhoon Nuri in the North Pacific.



Weather observations for November 7,  2014; taken at 06:00 Hours.

2240 meters        -5, Winds were 20-30 KPH from the S
1860 meters        -3, Winds were 10-20 KPH from the S
1550 meters         0, Relative Humidity was 99 %
  660 meters       +6, Valley Temperature, Max Temp Yesterday +9, 42.2 mm of rain recorded Yest

    Nice morning in the Alpine, some high cloud and mid mountain cloud with cooler temperatures.


For the Forecast, the strong low pressure has pushed East in a Westerly flow and a weak ridge of high pressure is building in our area. The subtropical fire hose is now pointed to the North of our zone. Unsettled conditions will bring mostly sunny skies with some cloud lingering in the mountains for today. Saturday is also looking unsettled with a mix of sun and cloud. The air mass is still fairly warm so freezing levels will fluctuate in the 1400-2600 meter range.  A cold front is forecasted to move through Saturday evening into Sunday morning sliding down the coast from the system to the North, in a Northerly flow. Freezing levels will rise slightly with the cloud cover and should hover around 1800 meters. Significant ridging will build Sunday evening into early next week with clear cool conditions forecasted with freezing levels finally reaching the valley floor by Tuesday. Finally the snow makers can get to work!! At this time an arctic high should influence our zone by Tuesday, but the models are inconsistent so more on that in future posts.

    GFS Model showing the flow for the weekend.

    Cooler air from the North should begin to move into our zone by Monday.


Video Friday's:

250 Foot Canyon Rope Swing: Utah

The Wild Within; British Columbia, Canada: We Live In an Amazing Environment

Bike Wheels made of Ice: Filmed in Whistler

Arborist Night Mare: Ouch

Super Typhoon Nuri from the ISS: International Space Station



Articles:

Extreme Heat Waves may become the Norm: Science Daily

Airbags and Avalanche Safety: Warren Miller Entertainment

November proclaimed Avalanche Awareness Education Month: Alaska

Avalanche Safety Refresher 2014 2015: Canada West Mountain School

Tips that could save a Life: BC Snowmobile Association

    Low pressure over us yesterday morning produced 42.2 mm of precipitation at 660 meters.

The U.S. GFS model forecast on Monday morning suggests the storm could deepen even further, to an incredible 914 mb.

       Warm on the West Coast and Cold on the East Coast. Jet stream influenced by Nuri.

    Golf course could still be open, no frost delays.

    Plants are loving the moisture!!

   Alta Lake is above normal. 66 mm of rain recorded at the Nester's weather Station since Monday.