New Snow: 6 inches
Settled Snow Depth: 20 inches
High temperature: 63°F (March 25)
Low temperature: 26°F (March 30)
Ski Conditions and Weather
We completed the April 1 snow surveys this week. This was one of the more interesting and challenging months of our snow survey career. Trail-breaking through feet of snow: no problem. Avalanche avoidance: so far, so good. Just when we thought we had experienced the full gamut of travel conditions... Without the deep overnight freezes, the safe, supportable snow travel windows were short, which made it a challenge to cover the miles necessary to perform our work. Without true melt-freeze cycles, the snow surfaces are far from smooth.
On our way to and from Snow Flat, we felt like we needed Dramamine for the twenty-four road miles of bumpy frozen waves. When venturing into the alpine, we felt like polar bears when we were unable to find any snow bridges across the numerous creeks running near peak flow, which normally doesn't occur until long after the April 1 surveys.
The results of our measurements at our snow courses across the Tuolumne Meadows area paint a bleak picture for the water outlook. The deposits made into the water bank during the three storms (thankfully they were big storms!) have seen a significant withdrawal during the month of March. Whereas our courses were around 65% of the April 1 average after the March 1 surveys, that number dropped to 37% on the April 1 survey. We lost roughly half of the seasonal snowpack (SWE) due to the unprecedented hot and dry March.
Avalanche and Snowpack Conditions
Please refer to the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (ESAC) and the Bridgeport Avalanche Center for the avalanche advisories for this part of the park.
Snow Creek Cabin is closed for the season. There is still good snow coverage from Tioga Pass westward, but a few small patches of bare pavement are starting to show. Watch out for rockfall triggered wet (loose) avalanches especially near rock bands. At lower elevations, trap doors can also be found near rocks and downed trees.
Wildlife
The waterfowl are flocking to the open water though! Mallards and green-winged teals are now in the area. The latter strains the microscopic invertebrates from the mud with the tiny comb-like lamellae that line their bills (Sibley). We have never seen them up here in our fifteen winters. Even frogs and toads are tunneling out of the mud to join the chorus of birds. Hopefully, they don't croak with the next freeze. Flocks of violet-green swallows have been feasting on the early hatch of mosquitoes and other insects along the swollen river corridor. And, last but not least, we saw a caterpillar at 10,000 feet. Good luck little buddy! The flowers up there haven’t bloomed…yet.
References
Sibley, David. (2001). The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Chanticleer Press, Inc.
Questions
The Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut is open! And, thanks to the hard work of the Historic Preservation Crew, renovation is complete and it looks so warm and cozy! This primitive cabin is the campground reservation office in the summer and is located along the Tioga Road at the entrance to the campground. It is marked with a sign. There is firewood and 10 bunks that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For those visiting the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut from the east (only) permits are self-issued at the Ski Hut. For those entering from other areas, please see Yosemite’s website: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildfaq.htm#winter or you may contact the wilderness office at 209/372-0740. Do not rely on electricity or phone service at the ski hut.
Come prepared, and please make good decisions while traveling in the wilderness!
Read through the following four pages before embarking on any day or overnight snow travel within this park:
You may contact us with any additional winter Tuolumne Meadows related questions but response times may vary if we are away on patrol.
Happy return to winter for a hot second!
Laura and Rob Pilewski - Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers
