Thread: Weather in West turns July 4 into snow skier's paradise

Weather in West turns July 4 into skier's paradise

Updated 36m ago

As Fourth of July weekend kicks off, people across the West are donning shorts, bikini tops and Hawaiian shirts — and then they're hitting the slopes.

By Tony Overman, AP

Mathew McCormack of Bellevue, Wash., drops into the upper bowl at
Ski resorts from California to Colorado opened for the weekend to take advantage of an unusual combination of dense lingering snow from late-season storms in the Sierra Nevada and the Rockies and a high-pressure system ushering in warm air from the east.

Resort operators Saturday reported large crowds, balmy temperatures and plenty of bare skin.

"I've seen bathing suits, funny costumes like Hawaiian skirts and silver sequined pants. Shorts are very standard today," said Rachael Woods, a spokeswoman for California's Alpine Meadows, which has offered Independence Day skiing just one other time in its 50-year history. "People are coming off the slopes and putting on flip-flops."

The weather at the base of the mountain Saturday climbed into the upper 50s.

At Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Utah, 783 inches of snow this season smashed the old record of 688 inches set in the winter of 1983-84. By the time the resort closes for the season after Monday's holiday, it will have been open a record 202 days.

Colorado's Arapahoe Basin Ski Area drew more than 1,500 skiers and snowboarders Saturday — about half as many people as a regular-season weekend day, said spokeswoman Leigh Hierholzer. The resort, located 70 miles west of Denver, last offered skiing on Fourth of July weekend in 1997, she said.

The weather allowed some of the more adventurous skiers at Arapahoe to try "pond skimming," a blend of snow skiing and waterskiing in which an individual picks up as much speed as possible going downhill and then attempts to coast over the top of a mid-mountain lake.

But while snow-sport enthusiasts are celebrating, the peculiar conditions are proving frustrating — and even deadly — for visitors to some of the West's popular camping and hiking destinations. This year's massive snowpack is thawing, causing rivers and streams to surge and prompting flood warnings.

At Yosemite National Park in California, one hiker was killed and another remains missing after they were swept off a bridge into a reservoir Wednesday by unusually high runoff. Several of the park's popular high-country campgrounds, cabins and other amenities remain closed due to snow.

Officials at nearby Stanislaus National Forest have had to turn away many disappointed visitors seeking permits to hike the popular backcountry this weekend, said Karen Caldwell, summit district ranger for the forest, located primarily in Tuolumne County.

Much of the terrain above 8,000 feet remains blanketed in snow, while some lower-elevation areas are blocked by high- and fast-running creeks and overflowing rivers.

"Many people from the (Central) Valley have been stopping at the ranger station with the expectation they can go backpacking to their favorite destinations … They are under snow," Caldwell said.

Oregon and Wyoming both saw their second-wettest spring in 117 years of record keeping as a result of late-season snowmelt and abundant rain, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

Despite the potential hazards, chilled rivers and snowy mountains might sound pretty good to those battling scorching heat that reached triple digits in some places.

The National Weather Service on Saturday issued a heat advisory for the San Francisco Bay area, warning the elderly, the very young and the infirm to avoid spending too much time outdoors. Farther south, Santa Barbara County planned cooling centers in libraries, senior centers and other community facilities in seven cities.

Of course, not everyone has the option to travel to beat the heat. In Arizona's Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio ordered a box truck filled with thousands of bags of ice to be delivered to the county's outdoor jails Saturday afternoon.

Arpaio said inmates would be able to have as many bags of ice as they needed and could use them however they saw fit — including to sit on.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/201 ... july_n.htm

Sure has been mild....Mount Hood still has a lot of snow on it.

RELATED

Phoenix hits 118 degrees, has hottest day so far of year

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-242399.html

Ugh!!! 112 Degrees....This Northwestern woman would DIE in that heat. Right now, Fourth of July weekend, it is currently about 60-some degrees at 10:15 am...This IS warm to us.

July 3, 2011
San Diego, California 92101 (12:41 PM local)
69° (21°C)

Packed SD beaches and water parks for day 2 of holiday weekend

Posted: Jul 03, 2011 1:55 PM PDT Updated: Jul 03, 2011 1:58 PM PDT

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego beaches and water parks were packed Sunday, day two of an Independence Day weekend that saw a 30-degree temperature difference between beaches and some inland areas.

Mid-afternoon temperatures of 69 at Lindberg Field and 65 at Imperial Beach contrasted with readings in the 80s in Escondido and El Cajon.

Beaches were packed.

La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Resort Manager Marco Menzhausen said "on our private beach that our patrons enjoy, we expect to have upwards of 1,000 people this weekend. On the public side of the beach, there is kayaking and a boat launch that people love to come out to watch.

"The tides effect how crowded our beaches here are as well: When the tide is high, there is less space per person," Menzhausen said. "Also, everyone will probably want to stay for the firework show, which leads to the mass exodus trying to get out of La Jolla afterward. So, people should be prepared to wait a little bit after the show."

In Del Mar, the beaches were so packed and the concept of finding parking near the ocean was obsolete.

"We had prime conditions yesterday and expect the same today. As of 11 a.m., there is zero parking around here, the beach is already packed." Del Mar lifeguard supervisor Tomas Bryant said.

The ocean water at Mission Beach was a relatively-warm 68 degrees. Waves were coming ashore below 3 feet, according to Surfline.com.

Del Mar lifeguards "had many instances of medical aid that needed to be given, as well as rescues that needed to be performed, yesterday," Bryant said. "We haven't had much of that today yet because our peak time for rescues is noon to 3 p.m., but I expect there will be a lot" Bryant said.

Some people might choose to find refuge from the heat at water parks instead of braving the beach, but Chula Vista's Knott's Soak City San Diego is prepared for summertime rush too. "All of our cabanas are sold out for this weekend, which is always a good sign. We had approximately 3,700 people come to the park yesterday and expect about 4,500 tomorrow," said Knott's Soak City San Diego Marketing Coordinator Jasmine Acosta.

"The weather is around 75 to 80 degrees right now, and it really impacts how many people come," said Knott's Soak City San Diego Marketing Coordinator Jasmine Acosta said.

http://www.cbs8.com/story/15020069/pack ... ay-weekend