The "Pineapple Express" continues to blanket the high country in snow
- Details
- Created on Tuesday, 21 December 2010 16:11
- Written by R. Scott Rappold
I happened to glance at the nationwide snow report, and California's Mammoth Mountain is reporting 61 inches of new snow in 24 hours. How do you even ski in that? Better bring a snorkel.
They call it the "Pineapple Express," warm tropical air bringing extremely moist snowfall.
Here in Colorado, the snow continues to come down by the bucketfull, with no end in sight. Up in the high country, they're calling it the "Sierra Cement," that heavy wet snow we don't usually see in these parts until March.
Here's what the Summit Daily News had to say:
"What is UP with this Slurpee-like stuff falling out of the sky in December?
"Our snowblower took one whiff of it and blew a gasket, then threw a rod, then blew another gasket and burst into flames."
Skiers may be rejoicing, but the heavy snow is causing travel problems across the high country. Early Tuesday afternoon, Loveland and Cameron passes were closed, and metering at the Eisenhower Tunnel was slowing traffic to a crawl. Monarch Pass was open, though snowpacked.
If you're going up, bring your fat skis. The 48-hour snow totals at most resorts are in the 10 to 20-inch range, with some exceptions. Crested Butte is reporting 27 inches in two days, and from a glance at their web cam, I believe it:
Check out Monarch's patio this morning, where they're reporting 17 inches in two days:
And always-snowy Wolf Creek is rockin' it with 35 inches of new snow in two days. Here's a highway cam from Wolf Creek Pass:
The biggest problem - other than many of us are stuck at work while this tremendous snow is falling - is getting there. Many mountain highways are closed or treacherous, so be careful out there.
The winter storm warning remains in effect for the mountains and Western Slope until 5 p.m. Thursday.
Weather
Current Contests
