The Great Spring Thaw Continues

2014-04-17 19:11:27.000 – Tom Padham,  Weather Observer

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After arriving back on the summit after a delayed shift change day, I’m amazed to see how much of the snow pack has melted after another week of stronger April sun and some very warm weather. Driving up the road this morning, evidence of a major melt out was widespread as many areas that were snow covered in lower sections are now mostly bare. Along upper sections of the road, areas of the dirt section had plenty of runoff, with a few crevasses where water running off the mountain cut into the ground. Plenty of ice still covers the top 2 or so miles near the summit, where temperatures fell quickly below freezing and flash froze the runoff to several feet thick in spots.

Although temperatures should remain below freezing for the next few days, by Monday temperatures are expected to climb to near 40 degrees, with another round of melting occurring into Tuesday. With more and more of the road now becoming snow-free, the auto road will continue their annual spring routine of preparing the road for the summer season, with the cog railway also making preparations to be open as early as April 26th. Warmer weather and longer days are just around the corner, and up here on the summit we are eagerly awaiting summer’s arrival!

Tom Padham,  Weather Observer