El Nino or El Nada?

Some of you may recall this was supposed to be an El Nino Winter, with above-average precipitation for the western United States. What happened? This winter can be charitably described as a cruel hoax.

Currently, Los Angeles is (arguably) experiencing its driest winter on record.

To the north, even Mt. Shasta (!) is experiencing a dry winter—though dry for them is still looking mighty good compared to what's happening down south.

Before we abandon all hope, yes, there is snow in the High Sierra. Look for touring opportunities in the Mammoth Lakes region, north through Yosemite/Tioga Pass, to the Sawtooths and Twin Lakes. No guarentees, however, as to whether any of it will be skiable through May, so plan your road trips early.

On the subject of weather, here's an interesting LA Times article on a 'rebel' climatologist who correctly predicted we'd see record drought, rather than the wet season expected by everyone else. Interesting, no?

— March 29, 2007

Andy Lewicky is the author and creator of SierraDescents