New Snow: 20 inches
Settled Snow Depth: 48 inches
High temperature: 50°F (March 19)
Low temperature: -2°F (March 25)
Ski Conditions and Weather: Late March in the Sierra Nevada can see big swings in weather and this week was no exception. The first half of the week was characterized by warm temperatures and sunny skies producing a good corn snow cycle. Spring did start on March 19 after all! Old man winter said, “not so fast,” however, and the past three days have seen the return to winter weather and ski conditions. Single-digit overnight lows and twenty inches of new snow have put the brakes on spring for now.
Tioga Road, as of this writing, is dry pavement from the Lee Vining gate to the Warren Fork (9,000 feet). Snowline to the west starts conveniently at the top of the Snow Creek switchbacks, at around 7,000 feet.
Avalanche and Snowpack Conditions: Please refer to the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (ESAC) and the Bridgeport Avalanche Center for the avalanche advisories for this part of the Park.
The new snow this week made loose snow avalanches and wind slabs the biggest concerns. We observed several loose snow slides, or sluffs, on north and east aspects in the alpine zone. Most aspects below 10,000 feet had a melt-freeze crust on them prior to being buried by the new snow, making for a smooth and slick sliding surface. Read more about ski and avalanche conditions, recent wildlife activity, and learn about history of snow surveying in the Sierra Nevada in Laura and Rob's recent blog post (posted weekly):
https://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/tmconditions.htm.
