snowpack data for Waddington-Homathko area?

[pete_a]

Anyone know of any resources online to see how the snowpack is doing this winter up north (Bella Coola, Waddington, Homathko areas)?

The depressing state of the cascades snowpack has me wondering if a ski traverse in the Waddington range this spring is going to be on glaciers that are significantly more broken up than usual.

Anyone know if these pineapple express storms have been getting that far north? thanks.

 

[Dru]

Think for a minute

Freezing level = 2000 meters

Waddington =4000m

 

It snows on those glaciers all year round. It can snow 2 feet in a day in the middle of June up there.

[pete_a]

yeah, but we're been getting torrential rains up to 10,000ft lately around here....

i'm just asking, gimme a break. just wondering how things are fairing up there

[DirtyHarry]

Dru, he's from Ballard. Cut him some slack. Sheesh.

[jordop]

I would think it would be too soon to tell what things will be like in spring. I am no meteroiteologist, but I would also suggest the possibility of large discrepancies between precip #s down here and up there.

[Phil K]

I'm no meteoriteologist either, and if I was, chances I wouldn't know much about the weather. Hemmorhoidologist? That's who we ought to ask about this weather pattern.

[Dru]

yeah, but we're been getting torrential rains up to 10,000ft lately around here....

i'm just asking, gimme a break. just wondering how things are fairing up there

 

Puntzi Mountain: Issued 4.00 PM PST Thursday 20 January 2005

Tonight .. Cloudy periods. 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers this evening. Fog patches developing overnight. Low minus 6.

Friday .. Cloudy with sunny periods. 30 percent chance of flurries or rain showers in the afternoon and in the evening. Fog patches dissipating late in the morning. High plus 1.

Saturday .. Cloudy. 40 percent chance of showers. Low minus 3. High plus 3.

Sunday .. Cloudy. 40 percent chance of showers. Low 1. High 4.

Monday .. Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. Low minus 1. High plus 2.

 

Puntzi Mtn is at around 1500m.

[Ade]

You might find this Seasonal forecast more useful as a general predictor of likely snowpack in the spring. The news is not that promising.

[jmace]

Yes freezing levels have been hovering around 2000 m and rising by sunday to 2600 m with the warm system from the South that I mentioned in another post.

But Dru and Pete a have good points. First dru is right, wadd gets snow all year round, unfortunaltey no one rides at 4000m so that number is kinda pointless maybe upper tiedaman at 3000m, so ya its probably wet mush now.

 

but all this doom and gloom is directly proportional to the amount of TV you watch.

 

Bad few weeks here a little unprecedented, but we just had a few phenomenal weeks, all it takes is a few weeks of cold and little dumping of snow and blam were back. I mentioned in another post that it appears as though we may get in to some colder air by the middle of next week.

 

So keep your fingers crossed and watch the weather, better yet watch the jet stream.

[Dru]

The freezing level may be at 2300m here but it's a lot loewer than that in the Chilcotin, on the dry side of the range and closer to Waddington. You can't predict Wadd freezing level using the local Vancouver forecast.

[jmace]

You can't predict Wadd freezing level using the local Vancouver forecast.

 

Sorry if I inferred that,

 

At a quick glance, forecast for tomorrow around 5000 ft, for the wadd, 7500 for the interior and 10 000 for the south coast

[Dru]

The giant blue Banana Protector is invading the province

[Dru]

I kept thinking about this and remembered the Automatic Snow Pillows!

 

Here is the list of sites.

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/rfc/river_forecast/pillows.htm

 

The closest sites to Waddington is the Upper Mosely site which is located not far from Whitesaddle Air.

 

You will see while most of the snow pillows are recording snow water equivalents close to record minimums for this time of year, Upper Mosely, and also Burnt Bridge Creek in Tweedsmuir Park, are recording snowpacks not far below recorded MAXIMUM. I am guessing there is a zone around Waddington to Monarch where most of the precip this winter has fallen as snow rather than rain.

[AlpineK]

I just looked at the Snow report for Shames mtn. up in Terrace. They have about 95cm at the lodge which is a really pathetic amount. It's lower elevation than Wadd for sure, but I wouldn't be too optimistic about the snow pack at Waddington.

[Dru]

shames is about the same distance north of wadd that vancouver is north of smith rocks

 

and 2500m lower

[pete_a]

Dru, thanks for the link to the snow pillow data...thats exactly the kind of info I was hoping was out there.

You're right, Upper Mosely, and Burnt Bridge Creek make me a little more optimistic about snow conditions up there.

[AlpineK]

So there's a low snopack around Vancouver, and there's a low snowpack around Terrace, but Waddington is getting a normal snopack.

 

Yes the elevation is higher, but you need precipitation to make snow. Seattle rainfall is 1.25" below normal for January.

 

I'll have to look at rainfall totals further north.

 

Edit: Environment Canada's 0-3 month prediction for precipitation is for below normal totals in BC. They show temperatures as average for coastal BC and below normal for central BC.

Edited January 24, 2005 by AlpineK

[Dru]

So there's a low snopack around Vancouver, and there's a low snowpack around Terrace, but Waddington is getting a normal snopack.

 

Exactly. It has been known to snow 8 feet in 2 days in June on the Klinaklini. It's one of the few places in North america that is predicted to have advancing glaciers under many climate change models.

[AlpineK]

It's one of the few places in North america that is predicted to have advancing glaciers under many climate change models.

 

 

After looking at the Kiwi route and the Angel Glacier on Wad for a week and then looking at the picture in Don's guide book I find this hard to believe.

[Dru]

I didnt say it was happening now, but that it was PREDICTED to as the world gets warmer and wetter.

[Ade]

I didnt say it was happening now, but that it was PREDICTED to as the world gets warmer and wetter.