Snow cover is shallow up to about 7000 ft, but relatively heavy above 8000 ft. Melting on sun-exposed slopes is already well underway, e.g., on lower Devils Slide Trail, South Ridge and Deer Springs trails. On multiple recent ascents of San Jacinto Peak I have generally ascended and descended via the east side (Devils Slide, Wellman, Peak, and East Ridge routes). As described above, crampons (always in conjunction with an ice axe) are currently recommended on certain moderate and higher angle slopes, at a minimum on the Peak Trail above Wellman Divide, and uppermost South Ridge Trail, especially on the north face of Tahquitz Peak. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Most of this snow had melted prior to my hike to San Jacinto Peak on 31st December. I hope to provide more information on the high country situation on Sunday 26th, depending on conditions/weather. Conditions are currently excellent for avalanches on specific terrain in the San Jacinto high country, as proven below. Spikes are recommended especially in the morning as the snow is now hard, compacted and very icy in places. There is a well-traveled track to follow through the very light and patchy 1-3 inches of icy snow. However they are not required, depending on your comfort level with postholing in drifted snow of moderate depth. The Wellman Trail from Annies Junction to Wellman Divide has about 40% icy snow cover. There is an average of 9-10 inches of fresh powder so far today at San Jacinto Peak, and about 5 inches in Long Valley. Thursday 5th January saw the fifth storm in the past ten days in the San Jacinto mountains. Crunchy layers as high as 9800 ft elevation told me it had rained that high at the start of the storm yesterday, but conversely there was very light snow (<1 inch) down to 5500 ft in Idyllwild. I made a concerted effort to put in a track as faithful to the trail routes as conditions permitted, both up and down. . This will change later this week. However the combined effect of the two minor storms, in combination with wild gusty winds pushing spindrift snow all over the high country, had completely erased the few tracks that were in place by the morning of Wednesday 15th. 4 Forecast Elevations: Peak: 10804 ft 8203 ft 4922 ft Base: 1641 ft This table gives the weather forecast for Mount San Jacinto Peak at the specific elevation of 3293 m. Our advanced weather models allow us to provide distinct weather forecasts for several elevations of Mount San Jacinto Peak. The storm started relatively mild, as might be expected from an atmospheric river system pulling moisture in from warmer latitudes, and as a result the freeze level was above 6500 ft for most of the storm, with rain as high as 9000 ft, before finally falling to about 5000 ft on the afternoon of Sunday 1st. However the snow conditions may not be suitable for snowshoeing on certain slopes, as described above. Rain started overnight in Idyllwild, and by late this afternoon (at 1550) totals 1.22 inch. The chart s below show s past snowfall recorded this year near San Jacinto, CA for the last few years. Hikers should be prepared for temperatures below freezing in the high country, and well below freezing when considering wind chill effects (see below for my recent weather observations from San Jacinto Peak). Spikes are not essential but will be useful for most hikers, especially for descending. 13:00. In a video taken at the city's tram station, flurries can be seen falling, and sticking, onto the ground. Black Mountain Road closed on 7th November to vehicle traffic at the gate 1.7 miles up from Highway 243 (see Forest Service website regarding this closure here). The switchbacks up to Tahquitz Peak average only 20% icy snow cover, but the frequency and length of ice patches increases on the uppermost switchbacks. Spitler Peak Trail is now functionally clear of snow. Seven Pines Trail has one set of hiker tracks through the snow since the storm in early November 2022. Conversely in places scouring by the wind means the depths can be well below the average. Currently crampons, always with an ice axe, and advanced knowledge of how to use this equipment, are required. At the Peak on Monday 30th January 2023 at 1110 the air temperature was 15.5F (-9C), with a windchill temperature of -0.4F (-18C), 98% relative humidity, and a light SSE wind sustained at 3 mph gusting to 8.4 mph. There is no planned reopening date at this time. Most major trails now have a track through the snow to follow, details have been updated below. Early morning hikes to San Jacinto Peak have generally had icy snow underfoot with sufficient bite for grippy boots, allowing me to bareboot all the way to San Jacinto Peak. The first number is the depth of fresh snow from this latest storm, followed in parentheses by the current total snow depth. I have typically postholed barebooting to 8900-9200 ft before putting on crampons. This is the second heaviest rainfall period in the past decade for Idyllwild (behind the almost unbeatable Great Valentines Day flood event of 2019, when we recorded 7.8 inches in just 20 hours!). An additional six inches of accumulation today brings the total in Idyllwild since 21st February to 20.5 inches. Combined with a weak sun at this time of year, snow melt will generally be very slow at upper elevations, and conditions will be ideal for freeze/thaw cycles and hence icy trails. On cold mornings the trail will be icy and some hikers will find spikes are useful, however on warmer days and afternoons spikes are not required. These concerns may steadily increase over the next few weeks with (eventually) temperatures fluctuating either side of freezing, seasonally stronger insolation, and highly variable snowmelt. In addition, there is the possibility of minor snow storms on Thursday 19th and around Sunday 29th January. There is a well-traveled track on the lowest section of Deer Springs Trail continuing out to Suicide Rock. This will likely continue to be the case for several weeks, given fresh snowfall expected. On Friday 20th I broke South Ridge Trail to Tahquitz Peak. Given the importance of this trail for the safety of northbound PCT hikers in particular, it is one of several trails adopted by the Trail Report. UPDATE Wednesday 28th December: the overnight rain storm produced 0.73 inch in Idyllwild (measured at 5550 ft) while Long Valley (8600 ft) led San Jacinto mountain locations in rainfall with 1.01 inch. Snowshoes are likely to become useful (even essential in early January), at least above about 9000 ft, if there is significant snowfall during the coming week or so as forecast. California , United States , 33.81N 116.68W, 3047m asl. Average snow depth around the peak was 24-25 inches, but heavily drifted. Light or moderate rain is currently forecast daily at mid elevations (possibly totaling one inch in Idyllwild), with an uncertain possibility of light snow in the high country (<3 inches above 10,000 ft elevation). Note that average depth is given; due to strong winds accompanying the storm there is extensive drifting, often particularly accumulating in the trails. Deer Springs Trail [updated 22nd December] has an accurate track to follow all the way to San Jacinto Peak as I broke trail the entire way down to the Suicide Rock Trail junction on 15th December. Black Mountain Road also closed on 7th November to vehicle traffic at the gate 1.7 miles up from Highway 243. I ultimately kept my Kahtoola microspikes on until just past the top of Marion Mountain Trail, but could have removed them somewhat sooner. The Mammoth Mountain ski resort has received 41.5 feet (12.6 meters) of snow since October and could be on a path to break the all-time snow season record of 55.7 feet (17 meters) set in 2010-2011. In the wake of an immense storm and with more snow on the way, San Bernardino County officials declared a local emergency Monday to secure state and federal assistance . Currently spikes at a minimum, and ideally crampons, with an ice axe, are strongly recommended. Please check this page for periodic updates throughout the storm (the most recent is at the top). Mammoth Lakes, traditionally one of the snowiest places in California, had nearly 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow over the past three days. Although not essential in the moderate depth powder, spikes are strongly recommended and many hikers will find them useful especially for descending. In the high country temperatures will be 10-20F above seasonal and, more significantly regarding snow/ice conditions, well above freezing for at least a week. As of the afternoon of Monday 12th, the only tracks that I saw and that are known to be in place are my snowshoe track between Humber Park and San Jacinto Peak (using Devils Slide, Wellman, and Peak trails), and the track of Kyle Eubanks from the previous evening between Long Valley and the Peak via Wellman Divide (which remained surprisingly visible in places about 15-20 hours later, showing how calm the winds were overnight). All trails above about 6500 ft are currently lightly, or above 8000 ft moderately, snow-covered. The second system may be more substantial, with precipitation expected most of the day and night of Saturday 31st December into Sunday 1st January. San Jacinto Peak (10810 ft): 6-8 inches (12-14 inches on 12th December), Little Round Valley (9800 ft): 8 inches (10-12 inches on 12th December), Wellman Divide (9700 ft): 0-2 inches (7 inches on 12th December), Annies Junction/approx. SNOW DEPTHS measured on 22nd-27th December 2022 are as follows. Devils Slide Trail is largely clear of icy snow to about 7400 ft (Middle Spring) although some extended patches remain below that. The holiday weekend had temperatures far above seasonal until Tuesday 27th. New treefall hazards on Devils Slide Trail, South Ridge Trail, and Spitler Peak Trail, have all been reported. If you have found this Report useful, please consider using this link to the Donate page. Deer Springs Trail [updated 22nd December] has an accurate track to follow all the way to San Jacinto Peak as I broke trail the entire way down to the Suicide Rock Trail junction on 15th December. Spikes are recommended. From there to the top of Marion Mountain Trail the route is a lightly-traveled posthole track. PCT Mile 179.9 (8070 ft): 4 inches (storm total 3.5 inches), Devils Slide Trail at Humber Park (6550 ft): 3.5 inches (storm total 3.5 inches). Make Yahoo Your Homepage Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! Humidity: 80% . As always after storms in the San Jacinto range be aware of considerable ice fall from overhead trees. South Ridge Road (5S11) is also currently closed to vehicle traffic. There are two new treefall hazards to pass on the upper trail. Ernie Maxwell Trail [checked 2nd February] has a heavily traveled track to follow along its entire length, through the increasingly patchy icy snow. 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