SB Forecast: October 25-26, 2008

Updated 10/23/08 10:15 am

Greetings,

Seasons are changing, albeit rather slowly, as we approach mid-fall.  This weekend marks the return of most of us to Sugar Bowl.  High pressure over the Western States for the last several days and have kept the area dry.  The last precipitation was a few snow flurries way back around October 10th. 

We're all crossing our fingers that we'll end the current dry spell that has taken over Northern California since March 1st.  The period from March through September 2008 has been one of the driest in history.  Even the summer thunderstorm season over the Sierras was very sparse.

Of course, everyone wants to know if we'll have a wet and snowy season ahead of us.  So do I!  Forecasting that far ahead is in the hands of climatologists.  Without a El Nino or a La Nina occurring at the moment, no extremes are expected.  When neither condition is prominent, it's called, appropriately, La Nada.  One would expect a La Nada to bring average conditions, but that's not always the case. 

I saw one recent report that predicts and upswing in precipitation for Northern California for November.  Let's hope this comes to pass and we can have a terrific start to the season.

For this weekend, with high pressure centered nearly over us, expect sunny and very mild conditions at Sugar Bowl with relatively light winds.  It will probably feel quite warm if any of the scenarios are held in outdoor sunshine. Highs will be in the 50s to low 60s, lows in the upper 30s to low 40s. 

A few changes in the pattern next week will bring cooler weather with chances of light mid-week precipitation.  The end of next week may bring better chances as the models are hinting at a stronger low pressure trough.

Have a great weekend.
Dan