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2008-05-02 15:06:17.000 – Kyle Paddleford,  Meteorologist

A bit hazy, but a nice start to the day!

It has been a pleasant day upon the summit this lovely Friday the 2nd of May. Temperatures have been hovering near the freezing mark and winds have been light and variable. Halos increased and decreased in intensity with the ever morphing upper level ice crystal clouds. Sunglasses have replaced goggles and snow pants are hanging on the clothing racks. It may be just a tad below freezing but the strong spring sun is more than enough to overcome a slight chill in the air during the afternoon hours. The snow is melting slowly but that has not stopped people’s spring skiing ambitions. Ice from the most recent storm is starting to come down but some structures have not yet shed the bulk of it. Keep that in mind if you plan to hike to the summit. Luckily most of these problem areas are not ideal resting spots or great places to picnic anyways.

In other news, two State Park trucks made it up to the summit earlier today with four wheel drive and chains. Some of the washout areas along the 6 mile that we saw during shift change on Wednesday have been repaired allowing for improved travel. The Auto Road will open this Saturday for it’s 147th season and allow travel up to treeline. For more details visit their website. To see how the whole process unfolded and what work still remains check out their Road Blog for stories, pictures, movies, and comments.

Kyle Paddleford,  Meteorologist