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10-21-2020 – 9 AM – Good day and thanks for stopping by, looks like a change to some colder weather is in store late this weekend.

The snowmaking crew should get a good run in starting sometime Sunday with off and on snowmaking opportunities through at least Tuesday night. There could also be a dusting of snow late Sunday into Monday, stay tuned for the latest updates later today. 

Checking on current conditions, today’s window cast shows we are back to some more dense smoke conditions. Up at the top of Mammoth Mountain, the temperature is 44 with a WSW wind of 24 MPH. Down in Mammoth Lakes, it’s 45 with calm winds, in Bishop it’s 47 with calm winds. 

Smoke AQI and Forecast: Checking AQI levels this morning, Mammoth Lakes is at 105 with Bishop at 205. Expect smoke to be a problem until we pick up the NE winds again.

It might be until sometime this weekend that winds change enough to clear out the Eastern Sierra from all the smoke that is trapped in the area. Once the smoke is gone we should have at least 2-3 days if not longer with clear skies. As the weather cools down now we should see less smoke output from the Creek Fire. 

The Inyo National Forest continues to be open but with some exceptions. What this means is the Mammoth Lakes Basin is open and so are a few select campgrounds in the Eastern Sierra. You are also able to Mountain Bike, Fish, and Hike. Please understand that all trails in the Inyo Wilderness areas are closed at this time.

Campgrounds open: Mammoth Mtn. RV Park, New Shady Rest (closing 11/1/20), & Crowley (BLM, no water).

Roads open Monitor Pass (Hwy 89), Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4), Sonora Pass (Hwy108), Bodie Rd. (Hwy 270), Lundy Lake Rd. Hwy 120 E (Benton), Hwy 158., Saddlebag Rd. Tioga Pass (Hwy 120 W) at Yosemite National Park Boundary is open to vehicular traffic w/ day-use reservation or proof of overnight accommodation in the park required.

Fall Colors: Are now peaking above 7500 feet in all areas of the Eastern Sierra. Below that elevation, many trees have started the yellowing process. Check out Bishop Creek Canyon, Rock Creek Canyon, and the June Lake loop for the best colors you can drive to and get photos. With a hard freeze forecast by Monday morning, now is the time to see to colors before they freeze and lose their colors.

Eastern Sierra and Mammoth Weather: Looks like a big cool down from Thursday into next Sunday as two systems drop into the great basin during that time frame. Mammoth Mountain will get the first hard freeze of the season by Sunday with a dusting of snow also possible from the second system. Expect all areas of the Eastern Sierra to get the first freeze of the season by Monday morning at the latest. 

We should see clear skies over the next few days with highs in the mid to upper 60s in Mammoth Lakes with low to mid-80s in Bishop. Nighttime lows will be in the 30s to low 40s for Mammoth Lakes with 40s for Bishop into Thursday.   

For Snowman’s full weather forecast along with weather images, check out the Mammoth Weather page

Snowmaking crews are getting ready to flip the switch on snowmaking operations. It looks like the first run of the season could be this coming Sunday / Monday / Tuesday. 

Here is a link to learn more about the Mammoth Mountain Snowmaking System.

 

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Who Are We?

Steve Taylor – The Mammoth Snowman Over the last 30+ years, Snowman has spent countless hours studying and learning about Mammoth Mountain Weather and Snow Conditions first hand. He has been skiing around the hill with marked ski poles since March of 1991 so he can measure the fresh snowfall amounts out on the hill. 

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 Video & Photo Blog report. (No YouTube back then). Facebook got added to the fold back in 2008 and then the Facebook Group in 2016. 

Reports, videos, and photos from the website have been featured on both local TV Stations here in Mammoth, along with AP, Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC News.

Ted Schlaepfer – The Mammoth WeatherGuy – Powder Forecast (November to May) – These forecasts are now responsible for many people getting multiple powder days on Mammoth Mountain over the years.  People email us saying they plan their days off around The Mammoth WeatherGuy Powder Forecasts.

Ted’s Bio: Ted has been a full-time Meteorologist (CCM) for the past 25+ years. He has always been fascinated with the weather,” skiing was just a natural extension of my love for snow and rain. I started skiing at age 5,  first discovered Mammoth in 1979 as a youth, and have been a regular visitor since the late ’80s.”.

Here is the link to The WeatherGuy Page with all his great insights on the weather, updates happen every Tuesday and Friday by 5 PM during the ski season. 

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