SierraVisions.com » Sierra Nevada

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

Steven — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:50:45 +0000

The sun is out this morning, the birds are singing and it smells so fresh after our rain. The snow is almost gone, just a few patches here and there, and check this out, the temperature has officially hit 50!! That’s the first 50 since October.

WooHoo!!!

Has Spring really sprung in the Midwest?

Maybe, but not for the Sierra Nevada. Winter Storm Warnings are posted for the Sierra Nevada through Saturday. They’re expecting up to 13 inches of snow tonight.

Sierra Snow Pack

Steven — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:00:51 +0000

As the latest storm dumped another foot of snow on the Sierra Nevada, the snow pack is looking pretty good for the beginning of March. The March 1st snow surveys are showing the average water content of the snow pack to be 107% of normal.

Mammoth Mtn is the first ski area in the Sierra to reach the 400 inch snowfall mark for the season, passing it yesterday. As of today they sit at 412 inches. Kirkwood is second at 372 inches. Both have snow bases of 11-14 feet.

The next storm comes in this weekend and is forecast to be the first cut-off low of the winter. The current forecast has the storm hitting Southern California more than the Sierra though.

Just an extra note here, this same storm may bring on the first severe weather event for the middle of the country. The storm chasers are beginning to lick their lips as tornado season approaches.

Speaking of tornadoes, there was only one tornado in the whole country for the month of February. You’ll never guess where it was?

Bakersfield, CA

Heard that on The Weather Channel this morning

Yosemite Nature Notes- Episode 8 – Snow Line

Steven — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:20:24 +0000

Here’s the newest video in the Yosemite Nature Notes series. This one is entitled Snow Line and is about the snow line in the Sierra Nevada during storms. It also includes some amazing footage of the flood in 1997. I want to thank the National Park Service, The Yosemite Fund and Steve Bumgardner for putting these on YouTube and allowing us to embed them on our sites now. That’s awesome. This can also be watched in full screen HD by choosing 720p from the drop down menu on the right and then clicking the full screen button next to it.

Lady Sierra at Her Finest

Steven — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:08:10 +0000

Did you see the Yosemite cam at sunset this evening? If not, here’s what you missed.

This is Lady Sierra at her finest!!

Sierra Storm

Steven — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:03:15 +0000

Hmm..
Had a storm sneak into the California and the Sierra Nevada on me. I didn’t notice it until a few minutes ago. Looks like it was a good dumper for the Sierra too. MammothWeather.com is reporting 19 inches at the Mammoth Mtn Main Lodge with another 5 inches to fall today.

There’s also a bigger storm coming in this weekend with 2-3 feet possible.

Clouds and Trees up Bishop Creek

Steven — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:14:40 +0000

Clouds and Trees, Bishop Creek Canyon, Eastern Sierra Nevada, CA

Sierra Nevada Snow Cover

Steven — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:55:58 +0000

Here’s a satellite view of the Sierra Nevada taken on Feb 10, 2010 from the MODIS Satellite. It clearly shows the present snow cover in the Sierra. I like how the Owens Valley and the major canyons of the Sierra stand out in this image.

Click on the image to see larger version.

Our Biggest Storm This Winter

Steven — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:38:48 +0000

Not sure when the snow began overnight, but we have 2 inches so far. This is just the beginning of a very snowy day. We are still forecast to get 9-14 inches with possible higher amounts where the lake effect bands settle in.

The snow is coming in waves this morning. I look out the window and can barely see across the street, then a minute later it’s not snowing, then it starts dumping again. It’s been doing that all morning.

The wind is blowing hard off of the lake right now. It’s supposed to shift to the north-east this afternoon and that’s when the lake effect snow will really kick in.

I’ll keep ya updated.

Sierra Snow on the Way

Steven — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:51:01 +0000

Winter Storm Warnings have been posted for the Sierra Nevada beginning at 8:00 pm Thursday and going through 4:00 pm Saturday. The first of the two storms moves in tonight and is forecast to bring 18 - 24 inches of snow above 7000 feet. The second storm moves in Saturday dropping snow levels to 55oo feet and bringing and additional 8 – 15 inches of snow.

Hazardous driving conditions can be expected all weekend for the roads of the Sierra. If you’re heading into the mountains this weekend remember to carry your chains. Even if you have 4wd you must carry chains with you. If you’re stopped by CHP and don’t have chains you will be turned around and could face a $500 fine.

Photo of the Month: February 2010

Steven — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:35:30 +0000

February Photo of the Month: Eastern Sierra Reflected in Farmers Pond, Owens Valley CA

This month’s photo was taken February 10, 2005 out at Farmers Pond in California’s Owens Valley. Once again I was at the pond hoping to catch a nice sunset. The clouds looked great that evening and there was enough open sky over the mountains that I thought this would be an awesome one. Mother Nature had other plans though and the sunset colors never came. The reflections in the pond were so amazing though, I couldn’t let them go without getting some shots.

I’ve always loved the color version of this image. Even though the lighting wasn’t the greatest, the clouds and those reflections are so awesome. One night last year I decided to play around with this image in black and white. As I got deeper and deeper into the black and white I began to realize that this is what this image needed. The black and white captured what I’ve always loved about the image, the reflections and the way the clouds frame the mountains.

Ever since finding Farmers Pond back in the mid 90’s, I’ve tried to get a great reflection shot there. With the black and white version of this image I finally got it.

Prints of this image can be purchased at 25% off the regular price
through the end of February 2010.
Purchase Eastern Sierra Reflection