Mammoth Mountain Snow and Weather Report from The Snowman

Dreaming of Winter and a large snow pack!

10-15-2018 7 AM – Good morning from Mammoth Lakes, California. It’s cold out there this morning under clear blue skies. 23 days left until Mammoth opens for the winter season.

As of 7 AM, it’s 21 with an NE wind to 61 MPH up top. Down at Main Lodge, it’s 27 with NE Winds to 11 MPH. Down here in town it’s 25, and yes we got the wood burner on.

Perfect weather to make some snow but for Mammoth, it’s just too early for it to last.

This cool NE flow will be with us a few days with gusty NE winds 60+ MPH over the top of Mammoth Mountain. NE winds do not bring much wind to the Main Lodge area and down in town.

Highs this week will be in the mid-50s with nighttime lows into the mid-20s. High’s come up 3-5 degrees by late in the week.

No rain or snow this week but things are looking good for possibly some smaller systems the last week of the month and into early November

The 10-15 day window looks promising, but that time frame is too far off to be trusted or get excited about at this time

At least the tread in not dry like it has been for years at this time of the year.

Looking at the MJO this morning we are still looking at the same set up as we saw on Friday.

10 days out the GFS is going into hyper phase 1 and the EC is in the doom of death. I would think a blend of the two would be most likely.

That would be good news for snowmaking crews as phase 1 brings in lot’s of cold air as we have at this time.

That’s all for today, I hope to ski ya later soon. Snowman out

El Nino Update

So what is going on with the developing El Nino? As forecasted surface sea temps are rising in all Nino regions. The central Pacific area is the warmest so far.

If it was that area that was only warm I would be very concerned, but all the Nino regions are showing warming as you can see on the chart below. We believe this will be a good sign for Mammoth.

Talking with Ted (Mammoth Weather Guy) the other day his early-season outlook was calling for about average or 375 inches at the 9000 foot level for a season total. He did say that his long-range outlooks have been a bust so of course this is just a fantasy outlook. We will be watching the El Nino weekly now to see how it is progressing.

Pray For Snow, Snowman Out.

El Nino

Mammoth Lakes Fall Colors

Wondering about the Fall Colors? Driving around Mammoth on Sunday it’s clear that we are way behind in getting the color going at 8000 feet. We hit the low 30’s the last few nights so that should help that process to get rolling.

There are a few trees that are peaking out in the Sherwins, by Hidden Lake, and near Mammoth Rock.

For the best colors take a drive south to Rock Creek Road, the upper half is all Yellows and Reds. Out of Bishop take the drive to South Lake for some great colors. North of Mammoth, the June Lake Loop is colorful and a fun drive.

With nighttime lows now into the 20’s to low 30’s the lower elevation trees should start to change over in the next week.

Mountain Bike Report: The Bike Park has closed for the season, you can ride the trails via peddle power now. Watch out for crews getting ready for the winter season.

Outside of the park, all local trails are open, this is the perfect time of year to hit Mammoth for a Mountain Biking Vacation. All the Summer Crowds are gone and you’re left with just hardcore riders.

So far the rain we have got has been enough to cut down on the dust in open areas. Shady areas are still dusty and dry.

Summer Improvements: Canyon Lodge is getting a major remake with lots of work taking place this Summer. We are told this will take 2-3 years to complete and when they are done Canyon will have a whole new look.

Besides the Lodge, Chair 16 is going to be replaced and realigned to unload near the top of chair 4. The new lift will be a 6 pack for weekend and holiday relief.

Up at Main, they added in some fun stuff at the adventure center. The biggest add-on is the Mammoth Zip Line that goes from the top all the way down to Main Lodge. That project will not be finished until late September.

If you’re on Facebook and have questions about Mammoth join my private group, over 9000 people are there to help you plan your next trip up to Mammoth Lakes.

Snowman out…

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Who is Steve Taylor – The Mammoth Snowman? Over the last 30+ years, Snowman have spent countless hours studying and learning about mammoth mountain weather and snow conditions first hand.

Snowman started blogging this information back in 1990 on the old Mammoth BBS system, then the RSN Forums and then on to MammothSnowman.com in 2004 with his Video & Photo Blog reports. (No You Tube back then)

Snowman has had his reports, videos and photos featured on both local TV Stations here in Mammoth, along with AP, Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC News. Learn more about the Snowman and our team here at MammothSnowman.com at this link.