Snow!

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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Scott P
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Snow!

Post by Scott P »

Sheridan and Sherman this morning.
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nunns
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Re: Snow!

Post by nunns »

I don't live out there. I am assuming that is new snow?
We were snowed on once on Sherman...on August 1.

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Re: Snow!

Post by Scott P »

nunns wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:51 am I don't live out there. I am assuming that is new snow?
Yes, new snow.
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Re: Snow!

Post by CaptainSuburbia »

Massive and Elbert had a nice coating yesterday as well.
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Re: Snow!

Post by Wildernessjane »

I’m so jealous. We are up in the PNW right now and I’m literally melting.
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Re: Snow!

Post by SkaredShtles »

Yep - fresh snow down to treeline on Mine's and Flora from Winter Park this morning...
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Re: Snow!

Post by Scott P »

Wildernessjane wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 11:45 am I’m so jealous. We are up in the PNW right now and I’m literally melting.
It's an incredible heat wave that is happening up there right now.

If it really does hit 111 at Seattle SeaTac today that's hotter than the all time records for most cities in the US. Even Houston has never gotten that hot and it will be toying with the all time record in Dallas. Tomorrow it's possible Spokane might surpass the hottest day ever recorded in Dallas.

Yesterday Portland hit 112. The record high for Tucson for June 27 is also 112. Portland might hit 115 today.
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Re: Snow!

Post by DArcyS »

I've seen snow on peaks through the first week of July. (Shoot, I remember waking up to snow in camp over a Fourth of July weekend in 1995). And I've seen snow on peaks the first week of August (mind you, that would be real snow, not hail or graupel).

Now I'm wondering about snow on peaks in the last part of July. This represents the peak of summer, and perhaps it would be really, really hard for it to snow in the Colorado Rockies if the air currents that bring the warm monsoon moisture from the south almost always block cold air from the north that leads to actual snow. Just a thought...

Any opinions or recollection of snow the last two weeks of July?
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Re: Snow!

Post by peter303 »

Andrew mentioned snow was hampering his Centennial race.
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Re: Snow!

Post by Scott P »

DArcyS wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:30 pm Now I'm wondering about snow on peaks in the last part of July. This represents the peak of summer, and perhaps it would be really, really hard for it to snow in the Colorado Rockies if the air currents that bring the warm monsoon moisture from the south almost always block cold air from the north that leads to actual snow. Just a thought...

Any opinions or recollection of snow the last two weeks of July?
I have seen snow several times during that period. Pikes Peak averages 7 days of snow in July:

https://www.summitpost.org/pikes-peak-c ... ics/337874

I remember a large (a few feet) snowstorm hit the Tetons, Uinta Mountains, and Wasatch on 7/23-7/24/1993 and assume at least some of the storm hit parts of Colorado. Around Salt Lake City the snowline dropped below 7000 feet.

Even at Climax north of Leadville, the weather station shows several measurable snow events in late July. That's at 11,300 feet so the higher peaks would snow more often. Leadville shows only trace amounts being recorded in late July so somewhere above 11,000 feet seems like the threshold of where it would be hard to snow in the mountains.

For the record and in case you are interested, the warmest time on the 14ers (on average) is around the first week of August due to a greater seasonal lag on the high peaks. For example, on the 14ers April is as cold as November, May is as cold as October, and June is as cold as September. This isn't true of places like Denver or the lowlands, or even the mid elevation valleys.
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Re: Snow!

Post by blazintoes »

Angel gets its wings!
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Re: Snow!

Post by Scott P »

DArcyS wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:30 pmAny opinions or recollection of snow the last two weeks of July?
If you are interested, in 64 years of data, there are only 11 dates out of 366 when it hasn't snowed at Climax (elevation 11,360). The dates are: 6/29, 7/1, 7/2, 7/6, 7/16, 7/18, 7/22, 7/23, 8/9, 8/16, and 8/26. All other dates have recorded snow. Of course snow that has fallen in late July at Climax is only in small amounts that melt off quickly. The only time it has snowed at least 2" at Climax in late July was on 7/21/1961. In 1895 it snowed 11" on 7/9-7/12 which is not quite mid July and a long time ago.

The last time I have personally got snowed on in mid to late July was on 7/19/2020, just last year when enough snow fell on Mt. Wilson to turn it white for a brief amount of time. We descended when it was snowing and by the time we reached camp the peak above was white.
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