Devils Postpile National Monument - Weather (U.S. National Park Service)

Devils Postpile National Monument is located at 7,560 feet above sea level just west of the Sierra Nevada crest. As such, it experiences typical Sierran summer weather.

Afternoon thunderstorms are a recurring feature in July and August. Daytime temperatures can range from the mid-70s to low 90s (degrees fahrenheit). Evening temperatures can drop into the low 40s (and even the low 30s in the months of September and October).

Frank Gehrke of the California Department of Water Resources Snow Surveys program puts the finishing touches on the Monument's new meteorological station.

NPS Photo

In the fall of 2005, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, California Department of Water Resources, and the National Park Service cooperatively worked to install a new meteorologic (met) station in Soda Springs Meadow. The station will provide important data for climate research and the management of California's water resources.

SODA SPRINGS METEOROLOGICAL STATION

This new met station measures ambient air temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, surface radiation, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation. In addition, it is equipped with snow pillows--
instruments that can detect the amount of water content in the snow pack.

Data from the Soda Springs weather station is uploaded daily and can be viewed year-round in graph format by visiting Scripps' website.

Hard core weather enthusiasts may want to visit an alternate website that gives more in-depth met station information.