null
Trail Wise!
Posts: 578 
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Post by null on Aug 8, 2016 5:30:22 GMT -8
I'm headed to SEKI next week to hike in the Lodgepole / Alta section of Sequoia as well as Lewis Creek - Copper Creek section of Kings Canyon. However, I cannot figure out which weather stations to be checking. One set of stations say it will be really hot Kings CanyonGrant Grove
While another set say it will get into the 30s at night: Kings CanyonSequoiaCan anyone shed some light? Thanks, Steve |
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tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582 
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Post by tarol on Aug 8, 2016 7:27:12 GMT -8
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toejam
Trail Wise!
Hiking to raise awareness
Posts: 1,795
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Post by toejam on Aug 8, 2016 14:30:58 GMT -8
We're not having a monsoon. I love the Sierra Nevada in August.
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Post by froggiebecky on Aug 8, 2016 21:47:56 GMT -8
Disclaimer #1: I am a meteorologist. Disclaimer #2: I'm not familiar with where the weather stations are in the location you specified, and I'm afraid I don't have time at this second to put together a forecast for you. Disclaimer #3: All forecasts are pretty crap at a week out. 4-5 days is about the outer limit for a good forecast. I personally think that, outside metro regions(and sometimes even in them), the weather channel is a raging pile of manure. The problem is that they have to pick one set of temperatures to be representative of a large area, so they pretty much never get anything right. If you're actually watching the TV, their radar is good, but that's about it. In the case of severe weather, they don't issue warnings, they just repeat the National Weather Service. Often with less detail. Of your two options, Weather Underground isn't bad. Again, I haven't looked in that area, but it's 'volunteer' weather. Stations installed at the nearby schools or ranger stations or the like, which makes the reporting density higher, which makes for better forecasts. They do good forecasts, but their radar quality usually isn't great. tarol has the best suggestion: go to NOAA and click where you are. They are still somewhat regionalised, but they're smaller regions than the Weather Channel. Even better, you can dig in to the site and find the Forecast Discussion, which the forecaster has to write to justify why they're predicting what they're predicting, or if there's any uncertainty in the days ahead. Another option: Call the park. They'll have a good idea of what to expect in the coming days. |
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Post by ecocentric on Aug 8, 2016 23:36:45 GMT -8
I rely on wunderground heavily. They have the most reporting stations, their maps tell you precisely where those stations are. If I'm serious, I look at NOAA and maybe something more specialized, like avalanche reports, but I don't even have the weather channel bookmarked.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 9, 2016 19:11:07 GMT -8
With a look at the elevation of the localized NOAA station: subtract 3.5 degrees f for every thousand feet of elevation gain from there to where you'll be. www.britannica.com/science/normal-lapse-rateI suspect that's what the software does when you select a location that isn't an actual weather station. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2016 13:52:28 GMT -8
You can get big thunderstorms, but usually towards the Sierra Nevada crest. It depends if the monsoon is picking moisture, either from the Gulf of California for the Sierra Nevada or the Gulf of Mexico for the 4 corners. The monsoon is July & August. I studied meteorology at Delta College & at C.S.U., Fresno. I was a Geography mayor. You do get a 3.5 degree Fahrenheit drop in temperature for every thousand feet in elevation gain - this is the dry adiabatic lapse rate. I think they're localizing the forecasts when you pick any spot on the map! It is hard to forecast where the monsoon will go! The hotter the weather the likelier there will be more thunderstorms! The weather channel is predicting a 10% chance of precip. on Wednesday. That's the day to watch for! There is the dry adiabatic lapse rate of 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit and "saturated" is 3.0 degrees Fahrenheit. I call it "saturated!"
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