California Weather/ Climate

[Guest happ]

Some stations are still in the 80's on either side the mountains [El Monte: 81, Palm Springs: 82].  Doesn't bode well for tomorrow.  March last year also had some heat [3/16/14: 92] but it was short-lived.  Like last March we started the month wet but prospects look dreary.  

 

89 / 58

[Dan the Weatherman]

It is still 78 here in Orange right now (9:56 p.m.) with a warm Santa Ana breeze.

[Guest happ]

Appears Orange county had the warmest temps today, as usual during winter heatwaves/ santa ana winds [santa Ana/ Santa Fe Dam: 96°].  Some minor wind-driven wildfires.

 

90 / 67

[Black Hole]

This may be behind the drought:

http://www.jamstec.go.jp/frcgc/research/d1/iod/enmodoki_home_s.html.en

[Dan the Weatherman]

The following are some of today's hottest high temperatures for coastal locales of Orange and San Diego counties from NWS summaries:

 

Yorba Linda and Fullerton - 96; Anaheim - 98, Santa Ana - 94;
Huntington Beach and John Wayne Airport - 91; Encinitas - 92;
Carlsbad Airport - 93; San Diego (Lindbergh Field) - 90;
National City and Imperial Beach - 96; Oceanside Airport - 92.

 

Inland areas ranged in the 80's to low 90's with a few mid 90's, but the coastal strip was the hottest with the offshore flow. I didn't see any 100's in the NWS observations, but there could have been some unofficial sites that reached 100, but the mid and upper 90's is way too hot for this area as it is, especially for late winter!

[Black Hole]

Interesting.  In the Western U.S. at least, the recent observed conditions certainly seem to match up to those predicted for this "El Niño Modoki" pattern.  This article isn't terribly comprehensive, and the data it references seem pretty spotty.  It covers only up to about mid-2013, which is about when the weather really started to go haywire around here.  I'd be curious to know more details, such as whether current SST observations fit the Modoki pattern, and whether the current temperature and rainfall conditions in Japan and China are also matching up to the Modoki pattern predictions.

The current Pacific Pattern is indeed an El Nino Modoki and I believe it explains at least a part of this winters weather. Apparently the time scale is a little bit longer than normal ENSO stuff, and there is also a negative version of it. Anyway, something to think about.

[bainbridgekid]

The current Pacific Pattern is indeed an El Nino Modoki and I believe it explains at least a part of this winters weather. Apparently the time scale is a little bit longer than normal ENSO stuff, and there is also a negative version of it. Anyway, something to think about.

I'm very far from a long range forecast proponent, but everything I've read about Mokoki Nino's and their longer time scale and persistent patterns points toward next Winter more than likely being warm and dry in the West and cold in the East again.

 

Cue the 1950 redux?

[Black Hole]

I'm very far from a long range forecast proponent, but everything I've read about Mokoki Nino's and their longer time scale and persistent patterns points toward next Winter more than likely being warm and dry in the West and cold in the East again.

 

Cue the 1950 redux?

It really is quite unfortunate but I agree. The odds are in favor of continuing drought for the next few years.

[Guest happ]

An earlier start and cirrus favors the fastest runners.  I understand 88° is considered dangerous marathon conditions

1200 PM PDT SUN MAR 15 2015

DOWNTOWN  PTSUNNY   88  39  17 CALM      30.04S        
STA MONICA APT PTSUNNY   89  36  15 VRB3      30.04F   

UCLA 88 37 16 E2 30.02F      
STA MON PIER  69  49  49 NE6       30.03F                 

 

         
I did find triple digits and close in nearby San Gabriel Valley yesterday.  And 90's in Central Cal   

El Monte 100

Santa Fe Dam: 99

 

Salinas 91

Bakersfield 90

San Jose 88

 

Lo 71 [warmest since Oct 4 2014] . 90's occur in March but some years we get excellent wet cold conditions  [4.03 on 3/21/11; anyone remember this storm?]  

[Dan the Weatherman]

It really is quite unfortunate but I agree. The odds are in favor of continuing drought for the next few years.

Do you know the last time we were stuck in an El Nino Modoki pattern such as this one?

[Black Hole]

Do you know the last time we were stuck in an El Nino Modoki pattern such as this one?

Offhand, no. But I would say we could look at the big droughts of the past and cross check ENSO for starters. Lets look into it.

[Dan the Weatherman]

Offhand, no. But I would say we could look at the big droughts of the past and cross check ENSO for starters. Lets look into it.

Sounds like a good idea to me. 

 

I am wondering if the late 1980's early 90's drought may have been related to this at least in the early stages. 1986-87 and 1987-88 were two El Nino years that were drier than the average El Nino and I don't believe 1986-87 was a weak event, either. It seems that I read somewhere a while back that the warm water stayed in the central Pacific during the 86-87 event, which means that it very well could have been a Modoki event.

[bainbridgekid]

Offhand, no. But I would say we could look at the big droughts of the past and cross check ENSO for starters. Lets look into it.

Modoki's are also called Central Pacific El Niño's.

 

This is from Wikipedia:

 

Recent Central Pacific El Niños happened in 1986–1988, 1991–1992, 1994–1995, 2002–2003, 2004–2005 and 2009–2010.^[69] Furthermore, there were "Modoki" events in 1957–59,^[70] 1963–64, 1965–66, 1968–70, 1977–78 and 1979–80.^[71][72]

 

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o#The_.22Modoki.22_or_Central-Pacific_El_Ni.C3.B1o}

[Guest happ]

Last of the heat today and the 4th day in row of 90+ temps [a new record for March downtown].  Onshore winds will provide nice cooling this week.

 

91 / 67

[Dan the Weatherman]

Last of the heat today and the 4th day in row of 90+ temps [a new record for March downtown].  Onshore winds will provide nice cooling this week.

 

91 / 67

I'm glad it is finally cooling off! This is way too early to be getting into the mid and upper 90's like it did over the weekend in many coastal areas. Hopefully we don't see any more heat like this until July!

[Guest happ]

This would be nice if it verifies:

NWS_LA

THE APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL ALSO HELP TO INDUCE A WELL 
  DEFINED EDDY CIRCULATION ACROSS THE INNER COASTAL WATERS TONIGHT...BRINGING 
  A RETURN OF LOW CLOUDS OVERNIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS 
  COASTAL/VALLEY PORTIONS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES. BY 
  WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THE CENTER OF THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS SHIFTS 
  EASTWARD TO NEAR THE LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTY BORDER.  MODELS ARE 
  TRENDING SLIGHTLY HIGHER WITH AVAILABLE MOISTURE WITH THIS 
  SYSTEM...WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES NEAR ONE INCH.  WITH DAYTIME 
  HEATING AND SOME COOLING TEMPERATURES ALOFT...12Z NAM SHOWING A 
  BROAD AREA OF INSTABILITY FROM SANTA BARBARA COUNTY TO LOS ANGELES 
  COUNTY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING (WITH LIFTED INDEX VALUES 
  BETWEEN -1 AND -4). IN ADDITION...12Z NAM SHOWING FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE 
  CAPE VALUES RANGING BETWEEN 500 AND 1000 J/KG DURING THIS TIME 
  PERIOD. THESE PARAMETERS SUGGEST THE THREAT OF CONVECTIVE STORMS 
  FIRING UP ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS OF LOS ANGELES...VENTURA...AND 
  SANTA BARBARA COUNTIES FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING. 
  WITH NORTHERLY STEERING FLOW EXPECTED DURING THIS TIME...WILL HAVE 
  TO WATCH FOR POTENTIAL THUNDERSTORMS DRIFTING INTO SOME OF THE VALLEY
  LOCATIONS. WILL EVALUATE INCREASING POPS AND EXPANDING THUNDERSTORM THREAT
  INTO SOME OF THE VALLEY AREAS WITH AFTERNOON FORECAST PACKAGE. MAIN THREAT
  WITH ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY WILL BE BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS
  AND SMALL HAIL. SOME RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY LINGER INTO THURSDAY
  ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE LOW...AND WILL HAVE TO ALSO CONSIDER SOME 
  SMALL POPS TO BE INCLUDED FOR THE MOUNTAINS WITH AFTERNOON FORECAST.
 

 

 

L: 64
 

[Dan the Weatherman]

I just hope that the coastal areas can get in on some of the action. Way too many times we have had these low pressure systems bring convective showers / t-storms to the inland areas, but areas closer to the coast have been left in the dust.

[Guest happ]

Current SST

San Diego: 67°

Dana Pt: 66

 

Does anyone know what the ocean temps were like last March?  My hunch is that they were elevated also.

[richard mann]

-
California’s record-warmest winter 
 
December-February 2014-2015 was officially California’s warmest winter on record by a wide margin. February 2015 was California’s singularly warmest February on record. All of this, of course, falls on the heels of the 2014 calendar year–which was California’s warmest calendar year (and 12-month period) on record.

http://www.weatherwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/california_winter.png

Dec-Feb 2014-2015 was California’s warmest winter on record by a wide margin. (NOAA/NCDC)

         The California Weather Blog

[richard mann]

        Official Twitter account for the National Weather Service Sacramento
 

NWS Sacramento 
Northern California winter 14-15 has been feast or famine: wet Dec, wet early Feb, and very dry outside of those 2 events.
 
https://twitter.com/NWSSacramento/status/576869425376149504/photo/1

[Guest happ]

There have been individual warm winter/ early spring months including March 1997 & 2004 and occasional periods of 2 months or more of above normal temps.  I am outside a fair amount during the day driving and observing weather conditions.  Trees flowering so early this year.  Winter this year was more like a typical spring.  Will spring be more like summer?

 

There were a few raindrops on my windshield this morning; dew point temps over 60 near ocean.   

 

L: 61

[Jesse]

Informative blog and a fascinating graph.

 

What strikes me is that we're not just experiencing a minor blip in the normal scheme of things here. This is completely uncharted territory. There are no analogues -- we're making California weather history. It's as crazy as 1948-1949, but in the other direction.

Dewey's gonna tear you a new one.

 

I agree though. That graph is almost scary. Completely blowing the other years out of the water.

[richard mann]

Informative blog and a fascinating graph.

 

What strikes me is that we're not just experiencing a minor blip in the normal scheme of things here.  This is completely uncharted territory.  There are no analogues -- we're making California weather history.  It's as crazy as 1948-1949, but in the other direction.

 

I'm figuring that this blip is more or less just a "grandfather's" type story. Or more (otherwise stated.) just an indication / indicator, of how "dry", more than warm California can get. If certainly still considering the warmth element. You know, California's main more "arid" potential.

[Dan the Weatherman]

There have been individual warm winter/ early spring months including March 1997 & 2004 and occasional periods of 2 months or more of above normal temps.  I am outside a fair amount during the day driving and observing weather conditions.  Trees flowering so early this year.  Winter this year was more like a typical spring.  Will spring be more like summer?

 

There were a few raindrops on my windshield this morning; dew point temps over 60 near ocean.   

 

L: 61

These last two winters have been incredibly warm here in Socal. This last weekend was absolutely ridiculous in the temperature department. Despite the cool down since, it was still warm enough for shorts today with temperatures in the 70's with an upper low in the area. In a normal winter, a pattern like this in mid March would produce temperatures in the mid or upper 60's, as opposed to mid and upper 70's. The behavior of the weather has been absolutely bizarre as of late!

[Guest happ]

There were several thunderstorms yesterday afternoon although not a lot of moisture:

Palmdale: .33

Chilao: .50 

Valyermo: .23

El Mirage: .23

Pasadena: .04 

 

The ground was wet when I got home yesterday but nothing in the rain gauge.

 

L: 59

[Dan the Weatherman]

As usual in a scattered shower scenario such as this last one, I didn't receive a drop of rain here in Orange.

[Guest happ]

Steve Johnson - Fresno

 

Interesting miracle scenario

 

 

Sun, Mar 29^th the low latitude trough SW of Baja intensifies, with 576dm heights extending southward to 15N, with an impressive subtropical plume of moisture rapidly moving northward along 120W toward CA.   Meanwhile the northern branch of the split produces a broad dome of High Pressure offshore the West Coast.  Overnight the large subtropical storm shifts northward, due west of the southern tip of Baja.   Mon, Mar 30^th the split flow pattern approaches the West Coast, with the intensifying southern branch storm system Jet ramping up to 100mph along the eastern flank of the storm, due west of Baja with 500mb heights dropping to 570dm heights.   The most impressive sight is the large amount of high PWAT moisture that is feeding into this storm system which is now taking on the appearance of an occluded baroclinic coma.  (See 700mb chart below showing the developing low latitude warm subtropical storm west of Baja)

 

Overnight this storm system rapidly moves northward along the Baja coastline.  By Tue, Mar 31^st the storm’s southern branch Jet noses into SOCAL, with 100kt speeds from the south over northern Baja, 500mb heights dropping down to 564dm heights and heavy rains moving northward into northern Baja toward SOCAL, then wrapping around the top of the storm circulation back toward the west.  Overnight high PWAT subtropical moisture rapidly spreads across most of CA as the storm approaches the SOCAL coastline and Pt Conception. 

 

Wed, April 1^st the warm subtropical storm has spread across all of CA producing light to occasionally moderate rains, especially into the orographically favored south facing slopes of SOCAL and possibly into the Southern Sierra.  Due to the subtropical nature of the airmass the snowlevels will be extremely high.  Overnight the storm lingers over CA with continued light to moderate warm rainshowers.  On Thu, Apr 2^nd the system begins to depart as the Low Pressure trough axis moves thru CA, with continued rainshowers or possible Thunderstorms, with the highest chances for Thunderstorms over the SJV region.  Overnight activity diminishes.  The end of the GFS Fantasyland Forecast realm on Fri, April 3^rd shows a weak lingering trough over CA with partly cloudy skies a perhaps a few showers left into the Sierra, while the rest of CA gradually clears.   The broader overview of the PAC basin shows a large Low Pressure longwave  trough anchored in the GOA extending southward to near Hawaii, with a developing Atmospheric River spreading NE from a Hawaiian Kona Low Pressure aiming toward NORCAL and the PACNW region.  This is somewhat encouraging because at least High Pressure appears to be not the dominant feature in the EPAC region.

 

SPECIAL NOTATION

Once again, as a reminder the scenario described above regarding the low latitude storm system producing warm rains into CA is highly questionable even though it has been evolving on charts for the past 4 days.  Today’s GFS is by far the wettest solution thus far.   Since it remains out there at Day 12 before it reaches CA, that gives a lot of time and many chances for the GFS to edit the event in every way, shape or form.  If it does manage to reach CA it would be a very rare type of storm for April, which would add just one more item on the list of weird things to happen this WY Season!  Stay Tuned

 

 

[richard mann]

Steve Johnson - Fresno

 

Interesting miracle scenario

Hey "happ".  .. I've re-quoted what you'd tacked in just above, with having darkened its main text, toward making it perhaps bit easier to read through.


 

 

Quote

Sun, Mar 29th the low latitude trough SW of Baja intensifies, with 576dm heights extending southward to 15N, with an impressive subtropical plume of moisture rapidly moving northward along 120W toward CA. Meanwhile the northern branch of the split produces a broad dome of High Pressure offshore the West Coast. Overnight the large subtropical storm shifts northward, due west of the southern tip of Baja. Mon, Mar 30th the split flow pattern approaches the West Coast, with the intensifying southern branch storm system Jet ramping up to 100mph along the eastern flank of the storm, due west of Baja with 500mb heights dropping to 570dm heights. The most impressive sight is the large amount of high PWAT moisture that is feeding into this storm system which is now taking on the appearance of an occluded baroclinic coma. (See 700mb chart below showing the developing low latitude warm subtropical storm west of Baja)

 

Overnight this storm system rapidly moves northward along the Baja coastline. By Tue, Mar 31st the storm’s southern branch Jet noses into SOCAL, with 100kt speeds from the south over northern Baja, 500mb heights dropping down to 564dm heights and heavy rains moving northward into northern Baja toward SOCAL, then wrapping around the top of the storm circulation back toward the west. Overnight high PWAT subtropical moisture rapidly spreads across most of CA as the storm approaches the SOCAL coastline and Pt Conception.

 

Wed, April 1st the warm subtropical storm has spread across all of CA producing light to occasionally moderate rains, especially into the orographically favored south facing slopes of SOCAL and possibly into the Southern Sierra. Due to the subtropical nature of the airmass the snowlevels will be extremely high. Overnight the storm lingers over CA with continued light to moderate warm rainshowers. On Thu, Apr 2nd the system begins to depart as the Low Pressure trough axis moves thru CA, with continued rainshowers or possible Thunderstorms, with the highest chances for Thunderstorms over the SJV region. Overnight activity diminishes. The end of the GFS Fantasyland Forecast realm on Fri, April 3rd shows a weak lingering trough over CA with partly cloudy skies a perhaps a few showers left into the Sierra, while the rest of CA gradually clears. The broader overview of the PAC basin shows a large Low Pressure longwave trough anchored in the GOA extending southward to near Hawaii, with a developing Atmospheric River spreading NE from a Hawaiian Kona Low Pressure aiming toward NORCAL and the PACNW region. This is somewhat encouraging because at least High Pressure appears to be not the dominant feature in the EPAC region.

 

SPECIAL NOTATION

Once again, as a reminder the scenario described above regarding the low latitude storm system producing warm rains into CA is highly questionable even though it has been evolving on charts for the past 4 days. Today’s GFS is by far the wettest solution thus far. Since it remains out there at Day 12 before it reaches CA, that gives a lot of time and many chances for the GFS to edit the event in every way, shape or form. If it does manage to reach CA it would be a very rare type of storm for April, which would add just one more item on the list of weird things to happen this WY Season! Stay Tuned

[Guest happ]

Thanks, Richard

 

The discussion by Johnson would be truly momentous if it were to happen.   If El Nino strengthens then there are possibilities this summer for tropical systems to reach California.  But summer storms don't cure droughts.

 

I was surprised how warm it got today inland from the cool Pacific.

 

85/ 57

[richard mann]

The discussion by Johnson would be truly momentous if it were to happen.   If El Nino strengthens then there are possibilities this summer for tropical systems to reach California.  But summer storms don't cure droughts.

.. It's the first day of Spring though still. And, if with playing the eternal optimist (appearing to be.), at this point as opposed to pretty much all if not all of this past winter, .. there's finally some decent cold sitting out over and covering most of Pacific. This with main moisture's increasing, if not perhaps in the strongest location more ideal, certainly more generally, with the main seasonal advance.

 

http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/globalir.html

 

http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/mimic-tpw/global2/images/mosaic20150319T210000.gif

 

Source:  the CIMSS's MIMIC-TPW site-page. http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/mimic-tpw/global2/main.html

 

 

.. Or more simply put perhaps, .. the main routing of warmer and wetting air moving northward out in front of that cold—(where and with looking at its position and coverage both more latitudinally and longitudinal more upstream, more dynamically along with more general pattern evolution wise, more season timeframe)—having at this point shifted more eastward. Obviously ouch more conducive to precip generation. 

 

— The main question being at this point, just how much main colder-season cold, is left to offset that main moisture path's shift. 

[richard mann]

Addendum connected to the post of my just above, ...
 
.. With discounting the idea of a more ridge type generated "blocking", and instead of thinking of whatever ridge-development's being less the result of higher pressure/s connected to convective subsidence, and more just and only where cold isn't, ..
 
.. And then with this idea, where considering that of blocking (or blocking potential) more generally, looking at the main cause of a stronger slowing of the greater flow of the atmosphere more longitudinally east as being more .. stronger cold's, more substantially slowed movement east more downstream, ….
  
$ .. Check the main patterning looked at more broadly—(Pan Pacific east to the mid-Atlantic, the same scope and imagery as routed to more initially here above.)—over the past two-plus months daily, easily reviewable at my "Twitter" account, to note the main shift in and where looking at main moisture's path north that I'd suggested above ... by navigating forward through the main images daily that I've uploaded regularly (daily more or less.) to my "Twitter" account, ... with scrolling backwards to the beginning of the year, clicking on that "tweet's" image, and then, with its being caused to pop up in larger form in a main quicker review type set up (Advance or move backward more where considering different tweets.), using the main forward and back "arrows", to move forward in time. 
 
(Click on the "Twitter" logo, here just below with my main "signature" space.)

[Guest happ]

Right now there is nothing to look forward to with another heat wave on the horizon.  Enjoying the morning stratus; minimums are comfortable but warmer than normal even during low atmospheric pressure.  Can't remember the last time I've used the furnace or car heater.    

 

L: 58

[Guest happ]

Current SST

San Diego: 67°

Dana Pt: 66

 

Does anyone know what the ocean temps were like last March?  My hunch is that they were elevated also.

 

Here's last year's answer:

 

Posted 23 March 2014 - 09:18 AM

 

Hit & miss stratus this morning; dewpoints above 50 under trough of low pressure. I've read some encouraging discussions on possible rainfall this week but not under the best conditions.

 

SoCal water temps: 60-67 [except outer channel islands] have been above normal for several months.

 

 

[Dan the Weatherman]

A quick look at area stations shows a +6.5 to +8.5 departure for the month (except my personal sentimental favorite, Sandberg -- its gamely optimistic little sensor continues to outperform all the others at +11.0).

 

With yet another heat wave coming up this week, a new record warmest March seems like a lock for most locations.

 

The scary part is that there just doesn't seem to be any compelling reason to expect this pattern to change.  Of course, it almost surely will, someday -- but "someday" could be years in the future.

I don't think I have ever seen a time period when three consecutive winters have behaved almost identically like this. I feel that there is something abnormal going on somewhere that is driving this pattern that started sometime in 2012 or 2013.

[Dan the Weatherman]

Cliff Mass weighs in on this -

 

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2015/03/why-has-weather-been-so-unusual-past.html

 

"The bottom line of the bulk of the recent literature by top NOAA and university scientists is that the unusual conditions we have seen this year and last reflect natural variability, with much (but not all) of it associated with the North Pacific Mode.  Thus our unusual weather is probably not the result of anthropogenic global warming, and it appears that trendy theories of the impacts of polar warming are probably without merit.  The best news is that since it is natural variability one might expect that it will soon end."

I hope that it is just natural variability and if it is, then the pattern will likely change sooner or later. However, if something man made is at least partly responsible for this pattern such as the massive pollution in China and other parts of Asia, then that will have to be addressed and those pollution levels will have decrease in order for our pattern to change.

[richard mann]

-

In this light and given only the two choices here Dan, I'm going to go with the professor's view.

This, if with not necessarily subscribing to Prof. Mass's reasoning pointed to more elemental. But instead looking at what's resulted as a consequence of "natural variability", as being much more the product of a more basic interplay of and where considering two main—and slightly different period length—cycles that I've noted, and which recur on a regular basis more inner-seasonal, where looking at main colder air's both movement together with distribution more latitudinal set against more longitudinal. 

 

And then with this "variability", attached and attributable to this interplay more, the patterning that we've been seeing over the past two years being likely to continue to shift. Where looking ahead to next year, and if only considering the idea more generally, most likely for the better.

 

— Of course related to what I've suggested here above, for quite a while now here, and on a regular basis, I've been posting projections generally 10 to 14 days out of both where and how I've felt main colder air mass might most likely been expected to both move and be distributed, over in the main "World" Section. This with my having additionally worked to interject my thinking in line what I've projected into various different discussions that I've noted at times, the main focus of which has been different people working to look ahead at future both patterning potential along with connected weather where considering whatever region more specific. 

[Black Hole]

I've been out of town, in Torrance actually, for a few days. It was fun with good weather for the most part. Thanks for having me!

[AlTahoe]

Calendar year 2014 was the warmest ever in Tahoe by a wide margin. The first three months of this year are starting off on a pace that will crush last years record. Here are the South Lake Tahoe High Temp departures for the first three months. March's will probably end up higher then it is today after the heat wave at the end of this week. All three months are new record highs by a large margin going back to 1968. Amazing to have new monthly records for three months in a row. 

 

Jan +10.04F

Feb +12.04F

March +10.27F

[Guest happ]

Calendar year 2014 was the warmest ever in Tahoe by a wide margin. The first three months of this year are starting off on a pace that will crush last years record. Here are the South Lake Tahoe High Temp departures for the first three months. March's will probably end up higher then it is today after the heat wave at the end of this week. All three months are new record highs by a large margin going back to 1968. Amazing to have new monthly records for three months in a row. 

 

Jan +10.04F

Feb +12.04F

March +10.27F

 

Those are sobering stats.  The Sierra and parts of Central California have been extremely warm this winter. 

[AlTahoe]

Those are pretty crazy numbers.  3 consecutive months of double-digit departures from normal!  I wonder how often that happens anywhere in the world?

We are now at 17 straight months of above average temps with 16 out of the 17 being +3F and higher.

Even more impressive is the 10.9" of official snow this season at South Lake Tahoe. Normal being around 140" and the worst that I can find before last year was somewhere between 50"-70".