Mt. Waterman Ski Area, CA, Can’t Open Because This Year’s Epic Snowfall Has Destroyed the Only Road to Get There You could single handily say that California just had the most historic winter season ever on record for much of the high terrain, and this even includes parts of southern California, which is saying a lot! This historic snowfall has caused increased pressure and demands on Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) to do their job and meet all areas needing […] Industry News Matthew Oliphant | April 6, 2023 0 Comments
NASA: Precipitation Piles on in California Two successive atmospheric rivers hit California in March 2023, bearing rain, snow, and strong winds. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power as the storm toppled trees, unleashed mudslides, and flooded streets. Related: Atmospheric Rivers: How They Work, and How El Niño and La Niña Affect Them The clouds parted on March 16, allowing the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) […] WeatherBrains | March 20, 2023 0 Comments
How to Calculate How Much Snow Your Roof Can Hold (Pay Attention, Tahoe) View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) It’s going down in Tahoe. Houses are already buried to the max in Lake Tahoe, and now an atmospheric river is forecast to slam the region and bring additional feet of snow. But how much can these houses take? They already look like literal igloos—at least the ones you […] Brains SnowBrains | March 9, 2023 1 Comment
The Power of Elevation: Why Not All Snow Is Created Equal Any serious skier will tell you that not all snow is created equal. Light, fluffy powder, dense, wet snow, and icy sleet all start as the same thing: moisture in the air. An intricate dance of atmospheric moisture, environmental conditions, and resort geography all combine to create the spectrum of snowfall that snowsports enthusiasts crave. Despite the numerous factors that […] Featured Article Andrew | February 2, 2023 3 Comments
NASA: Storms Soak California A series of back-to-back atmospheric rivers has drenched much of California since late December 2022, leading to floods, debris flows, road closures, and over a billion dollars of damage. According to the National Weather Service, almost all of the state has received rainfall totals of 400-600 percent above average between December 26, 2022, and January 9, 2023. The latest storm […] SnowBrains | January 12, 2023 0 Comments
NASA: Atmospheric River Lashes California Just four days after heavy rain hit California, the state was drenched with another atmospheric river on January 4 and 5, 2023. A plume of moisture from the tropical Pacific interacted with a low-pressure system that rapidly strengthened over the northeast Pacific, producing a storm that caused flooding, toppled trees, and downed power lines. Related: Atmospheric Rivers: How They Work, […] Weather WeatherBrains | January 5, 2023 0 Comments
8,000-Mile Atmospheric River Stretching From Indonesia to US West Coast Forecast To Drop Feet of Snow This Week “Atompheric River or Pinapple Express? Moisture from with this system extends to Indonesia!” – US National Weather Service Boise, ID, 12/27/22 The atmospheric river impacting the US West Coast today is tapping into a moisture plume that stretches 8,000-miles to Indonesia. Wow! This wet, warm, windy, and wild atmospheric river is clobbering the West Coast of the United States of […] Weather WeatherBrains | December 27, 2022 0 Comments
Antarctica Experiences Record High Temps Amid Transition to Winter Like many others this year, Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth, is experiencing a heatwave. It’s entering winter with record-breaking high temps. Antarctica has already started transitioning into its coldest months and darkest months. Temperatures usually begin dropping towards the end of the Southern Summer, but the continent is breaking records this March. Known as polar nights, daylight is minimal. […] Brains Aunika Skogen | March 23, 2022 0 Comments