I'm not sure what day it is there, but I'm seeing some impressively low temperatures (by modern climate standards) in my various feeds as I get up this morning in Japan. -21F just east of the Feilding Garr Ranch on Antelope Island, -53ºF in Peter Sinks, -39ºF in Randalph, and -5ºF at the Salt Lake Airport. The latter is the lowest temperature observed at KSLC since February 13, 2004.
Ah, it's good to be in Japan...
-26F in Huntsville and Eden
ReplyDeleteAnd then, we might get a bit of an ice storm in parts of northern UT tomorrow night into Sunday. Who knows. It looks suspicious.
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ReplyDeleteYou're missing one heck of a Utah weather week, Jim.
ReplyDeleteI just did two of the greatest tours of my life. I think I'll be OK ;-)
DeleteAfter reading that you were in Hakuba I checked out the mountains west of of Hakuba and was absolutely drooling. You mentioned Japan is known for deep but not steep, but WOW those mountains are extremely rugged rising over 9000' from the ocean. I imagine between orographics and "lake effect" they get a ridiculous amount of snow. So are you currently skiing the best skiing mountains in Japan and possibly the world? Or is Hokkaido the best skiing in Japan?
DeleteMy comment on "deep not steep" was to emphasize that phrase does not apply to the Hakuba-area backcountry. The terrain here is pretty incredible. Snowfall here increases with altitude and proximity to the Sea of Japan, but is quite prolific and some of the deepest seasonal snowpacks in the world are observed in these and nearby mountains. I don't believe there is a "best skiing in the world" region out there. I do think there are places where climate and terrain come together in a special way and this is one of them. Note, however, that the ski resorts here are generally "tame" (in terms of terrain, more like Sun Valley or Mt. Bachelor than Alta/Snowbird), venturing into the alpine is often difficult, and the snow accumulation season here is intense, but brief. Hakuba is also at 36.6ºN, which means high angle sun,.
DeleteCold, but the skiing is absolutely glorious.
ReplyDeleteI know you are in Japan, but surely you have something to say about this: https://utahavalanchecenter.org/sites/default/files/images/staff/Drew/Screen%20Shot%202017-01-07%20at%205.07.04%20AM.png
Is this for reals?
Based on how things look this evening (January 7), I think this may possibly be one of the most significant and widespread icing events that has been observed in this part of the US, late tonight into Sunday. Basically all the way from the Cascade Range of Oregon eastward across southern Idaho, northern Nevada and northern Utah look like areas of significant sleet and freezing rain could occur. I guess time will tell but it is looking very interesting.
ReplyDeleteCurious, -21 F on Antelope Island but only -5 F at the airport. Is this an urban heat island effect? The historical record has all these crazy all time low temperatures in SLC that we just don't get anywhere close to today. I've always wondered why that is.
ReplyDeleteLooking out my office window from the U, the warm air is not mixing out the lowest few hundred feet. :( The clouds are racing along south to north just above the tall buildings downtown, and a stagnant brown haze sits still just underneath. Hopefully it will scour it out soon...
ReplyDeleteThere has been freezing rain all day in SLC today, plus ice pellets in the morning.
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