davesenesac
Trail Wise!
Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
Posts: 1,710 
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Post by davesenesac on Dec 2, 2016 13:35:13 GMT -8
Each year's winter rainfall has a considerable interest to backpackers planning following year's trips. So an update on what had been a generally droughty western US before our rainy season began. Northern California after 3 years of drought, thus far early in our rainy season has had one of the wettest falls in the last 3 decades though Southern California and the southern Sierra Nevada where many of us backpack have continued to receive below normal:
California 60 day percent of average precipitation map:
And likewise the Pacific Northwest has been very wet while southwest areas of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau are still droughty. Western US 60 day percent of average precipitation map:
David
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Post by swimswithtrout on Dec 2, 2016 17:41:39 GMT -8
Here where I live in CO, it's the worst drought I've seen in 35 years. NOAA bumped us up to "Extreme" two months ago. We are short 4.85" of precip at this date, in a City that only receives 15.53"/yr.
We were doing very well all of last Winter and this Spring with 200-300% normal snowpack going into May, and then the rug got pulled out from under our feet. We only had 0.05" in June when it should have averaged 2.21", and it's stayed that way since then, along with record breaking heat.
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Post by hikerjer on Dec 2, 2016 20:15:35 GMT -8
Southern Montana is slightly above normal for the year. Whatever normal is. It's been revised so many times, I'm not sure.
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BigLoad
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Pancakes!
Posts: 12,939
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Post by BigLoad on Dec 2, 2016 21:52:58 GMT -8
NJ has had a dry year, too. As of Tuesday, our precipitation deficit for the year was at 23-28%. Two days of pouring rain knocked a few points off that, but we're still likely to finish bad. Reservoirs in the eastern part of the state are 40% below normal.
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balzaccom
Trail Wise!
Waiting for spring...
Posts: 4,528
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Post by balzaccom on Dec 2, 2016 22:24:28 GMT -8
We've had 1/3 of our annual rainfall total already in Napa. Let's home it's keeps going!
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Post by hikerchick395 on Dec 3, 2016 10:04:12 GMT -8
We are still in the extreme drought. Precip so close yet so far away.
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RedDoug
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Trail active, stand back.....
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Post by RedDoug on Dec 9, 2016 18:42:18 GMT -8
I was out Wed for a 9-mile loop in the Superstition Mtns out of First Water TH. Very dry. Very dry.
I was told by a volunteer at the TH that all the dependable springs and creeks are running, but most other creeks/water sources are dry.
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BigLoad
Trail Wise!
Pancakes!
Posts: 12,939
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Post by BigLoad on Dec 9, 2016 20:01:47 GMT -8
I was out Wed for a 9-mile loop in the Superstition Mtns out of First Water TH. Very dry. Very dry. I was told by a volunteer at the TH that all the dependable springs and creeks are running, but most other creeks/water sources are dry. LaBarge and Charlebois are doing great. A few weeks ago, I bushwhacked back into the canyon at Charlebois and was surprised by how extensive the spring system is there. It's quite a jungle in spots, but when you get far enough upstream it's all bare-rock bouldering. There was a a little water at Trap Canyon Spring, but it was nasty and scummy. Whiskey Spring had a tiny bit of nasty water, too. I was going to check Bluff Spring on the way out, but I didn't want spend the time wandering off-trail to find it. |
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