Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney Weather/Snow level question

I keep reading about the record snowfall for Mammoth, but I have not read anything particular about Whitney's snowfall this year. When I check the weather map or look up Lone Pine, I don't notice that they have had much in the way of recent weather (as compared to the Norther Sierra that has decided to forego Spring this year.)

Has there been a recent/consistent snowfall for Whitney this year? Is it anywhere near Mammoth?

Funny thing you mention.

The valley in which Lone Pine sits, is in the "weather shadow" of the Sierra. The massif is an unbroken wall, except in one place, the valley of the San Joaquin River. It is basically an open window to the East. Except, there is a single mountain that sits in the middle of the gap......Mammoth. This accounts for the phenomenal snowfall on that mountain.

At the level of Whitney, there is another range to the West, that intercepts part of the weather, the Great Western Divide. So, by the time that the two mountain ranges pull out the moisture, Lone Pine is pretty dry.

Thanks, Ken! I had been wondering what was so special about Mammoth that allowed for all of that snowfall. I can just imagine that the river valley acts as a weather chute, directing all that moisture straight up the mountain.

Sounds almost like Lake effect snow that The Great Lakes cause in the NE.

How do they measure actual true vertical precipitation at the top of the mountain when snow is falling horizontally, or for that matter, even upslope?

Whenever there's a discussion of microclimates in California, I also think of Lassen. That peak gets a prodigious amount of snow.

As for lake effect snow off the Great Lakes - not surprisingly, I've read a few articles that the amount of snowfall in areas downwind of Cleveland, Erie and Buffalo has decreased since the steel mills installed scrubbers on their stacks. Apparently the pollution provided increased nuclei which increased condensation. I went to school in upstate NY in the late 60's before these scrubbers were installed, and snowfalls could be prodigious - 3' snowfalls were common. That's not unusual for the Sierra, but it is in that part of the northeast (Tug Hill Plateau excepted).

It may have decreased but Buffalo still gets crazy amounts of snow every year.Last year I seem to remember something like 6-8 feet of snow storm in one weekend.A fews years ago I sat in a Pittsburgh airport waiting 5 hours for the snow storm to stop in Syracuse so we could take off and land there.It snowed something like 4-6 feet while we waited.
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/buf/lakeffect/snowseason.html

I agree, Rod - they get prodigious amounts of snow. Am going to be driving the NY Thruway in a couple of weeks with my son to visit an aunt in Rochester. The Thruway can be an interesting place in a storm.