Just checked, and there is actually an official blizzard warning today for the NC mountains. I am sure it has happened, but I don't recall a blizzard warning for the NC mountains - at least in recent years. Officially Mount Mitchell had 29 inches on the ground this morining (I am sure much higher drifts) and a temperature of -4 F. with a forecast for up to 10 more inches with this storm. This has got to be the largest snowpack in sometime for our mountains! Plan to head up that way this Saturday to see for myself.

Must be nice!!!

I live at 7,600 ft in Colorado, and we're lucky if we've got a foot on the ground. What a dry, dry winter here.

I'm envious!

Sarah

From what I understand, the last time the Southern Appalachians developed an honest to gosh snowpack was the the winter of 1963-64. Even the mountains of northern Georgia developed an actual snowpack.

Looks like it could happen this year.

Patience... your time will come. Probably one (or two) of those famous March, April, or even May blizzards you have out there in beautiful Colorado! David

sarah.simon wrote:Must be nice!!!

I live at 7,600 ft in Colorado, and we're lucky if we've got a foot on the ground. What a dry, dry winter here.

I'm envious!

Sarah

There's definitely a "snowpack" in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I tried hiking up a forest service road to get access to the parkway today but turned around because the snow was a good foot deep in many places. The ~5 people who have snowshoes or cross-country skis here must be getting a lot of mileage out of them.

Went up to Mt Rogers 2/6-7, camped in the Lewis Fork Wilderness. Our camp had 2 feet snow on the ground. I've never camped in that much snow in the SE, close to 3' up near the summit of Pine Mt. Great trip but terrible drive Friday night, biblical rains from home to Winston Salem, ice and fallen tees up US 52, snowstorm from Fancy Gap to Rural Retreat on I-77 and 81. Doing 35 mph for 40 miles. What should be a 3 hr 20' drive took 4 hr 30'. Most stressful drive in years.

BTW , a definition of a blizzard is a snowstorm of at least 3 hours with 35 mph sustained winds and visibility of < 1/4 mile

I'm still waiting to learn if the Southern Appalachians have developed an officially designated snowpack. From what I've read, the last time this happened was the winter of 1963-64.

There's a BIG snow pack in the Blacks. I went there today to try to summit Mt. Mitchell. There is a foot at the Black Mountain Campground at about 3000 feet (just barely got my Subaru Impreza to the trailhead because of clearance and no forest road maintenance). It then took me 3 hours to break trail in the recent new snow just to get to the Buncombe Horse Trail junction at about 5900 feet … a solid 24 to 30 inches average there with higher drifts. I decided to turn around at that point having spent too much time and energy to try for the last 1.5 miles and 700 more foot of gain. On the way down I met 4 or 5 people coming up with snowshoes, grooming and packing the trail very well... oh if they had only been in front of me from the start! Anyway, I just checked and officially this morning at the 6240 foot weather station, the depth was an incredible 43 inches, with more on the way tonight and next days with the NW flow snow machine kicking in again. I would have liked to have seen what those usual drifts in front of the canteen building at the parking area had grown to, I'll bet roof level or maybe more!

I hiked Sharp Top this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. A couple weeks ago the trail was covered in ice but today it was wonderfully packed snow in a small track going all the way up.

All the snowshoers and and skiers are going up the road to play with their equipment. It's certainly not the fastest way, I started after a snowshoer and met him on the way back down.

Saw a guy strapping on crampons when I got back to the parking lot. The only place I can think of him needing that was one little slope where I had to kick a couple steps in. I guess if you've got the equipment you may as well use it though.



Quite a bit of snow!

Less than two weeks to the Mt Mitchell Challenge and the Black Mt Marathon. Might be extra dicey or icey to run either event.

Are they doing it in snowshoes or is the road plowed?

If there's 43 inches of snow you better invest in some x-country skis!

BobSmith wrote:I'm still waiting to learn if the Southern Appalachians have developed an officially designated snowpack. From what I've read, the last time this happened was the winter of 1963-64.

Here's an interesting article I found concerning the snowy sixties that I thought might be of interest...Record Snowfall of 1960 in the Southern Appalachians. Article states that the record snow depth for NC was set at Boone that winter with a depth of 44". Sounds like the record has a good chance of being broken this year!

Here's an interesting article I found concerning the snowy sixties that I thought might be of interest...Record Snowfall of 1960 in the Southern Appalachians. Article states that the record snow depth for NC was set at Boone that winter with a depth of 44". Sounds like the record has a good chance of being broken this year![/quote]

My mistake on 63-64. It was 1960 as the year of the last officially designated snowpack in the southern Appalachians. Even the mountains of north Georgia were in on the act. If you look at this year, it isn't the temperatures that were out of the ordinary, but the amount of moisture in the atmosphere.