Tuesday, February 15, 2011

lots of new snow above... (am.15.feb.11)>

**very heavy and record snowfall in mountains of himachal** http://www.himvani.com/news/2011/02/14/keylong-gets-record-snowfall/10613

waking up to a very chilly 40F (4.4C), a brand new 1.04" (2.6cm) of water in the rain gauge, and a beautiful blanket of new snow on the mountains above town.  until i hear some specific reports, it's hard to tell exactly where the snow line is, but i would estimate it is around 2100m (6900ft)... which would be near galu temple.  our total rainfall since this all began late saturday night is now 2.04" (5.2cm).

so... when will it end?  we may actually be getting fairly close to the backside of this system, but it doesn't look like there is going to be any dramatic, definitive improvement for a while yet.  from the satellite pic, it appears that the center of circulation is somewhere over western kashmir, so we still have a south-southwesterly flow bringing up lots of moisture into most of himachal pradesh.  i think there is a very good chance that we'll see more rain and thunderstorm activity today... with the snow line edging ever closer to dharamkot, naddi, and possibly mcleod ganj.  the latest measurable snow i can remember in mcleod ganj during the past decade was 17 february, 2003... when we had about 2" of slushy sleet and snow.

although we may see increasing amounts of sun and decreasing rain and snow chances toward the end of the week, temperatures are going to remain below normal... and random showers can't be ruled out... even as we approach the weekend.

TUESDAY: mostly cloudy and very cool, with more periods of rain and thunder likely.  sleet and snow potential will increase...?
high: 7C (45F)

TUESDAY NIGHT: good chance of some rain and/or snow showers, otherwise mostly cloudy and cold.
low: 3C (38F)

WEDNESDAY: clouds, with a few peeks of sun.  still a good chance of a few rain and snow showers in the area.
high: 8C (47F)

THURSDAY: partly cloudy and still rather cool.  a couple of PM showers are possible.
high: 9C (49F)

FRIDAY: a mix of sun and clouds... a bit milder.
high: 11C (51F)

SATURDAY: partly sunny skies, with a slight chance of a shower late.
high: 11C (52F)