July weather????

by **granjero** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 8:34 pm

Perhaps the best bet for forecasting summertime rain in the Sierra is to familiarize yourself with water vapor and infrared satellite imagery
http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/satellite
atmospheric soundings
http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/upper
and how the north american monsoon works
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/Report-to-the-Nation-Monsoon_aug04.pdf
Precipitation in the summer here is probably 90% due to monsoonal moisture making its way north out of the core monsoon region of the New Mexico/Arizona/SoCal area. So by keeping tabs on where the moisture is located and air flow patterns, you should have a pretty good shot at figuring it out. Moisture in the area will likely result in t-storms due to dramatic daytime solar heating and buoyancy perturbations resulting in convection which releases instability via ascent, condensation, and precipitation (in a nutshell).
And while yes, rain is most often experienced during the afternoon hours, it certainly can continue into the night provided sufficient instability and moisture availability. Those who have spent a lot of time wandering the hills can attest to this. Just cause it doesn't happen often doesn't mean that it will not happen! But if you do some homework on your forecasting skills you will have a great chance of dialing in weather (pun intended) or not you need to bring heavy rain attire or just boardshorts

Hope this helps, and have fun on your visit!!!

The following user would like to thank granjero for this post
inconsolable, rhyang

by **granjero** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 8:45 pm

EXAMPLE!!!!!!
gasp, its july!!!! and guess what, nocturnal convection occurred in this case! so watch out!

oh yes, and if you choose only to wear boardshorts on your trip, double up on the sunscreen and triple up on the deet!!!

by **mrchad9** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:04 pm

Vitaliy M wrote:
rhyang wrote:Just another day on the internet -- an inexperienced guy made a statement that wasn't true. Several other people made assertions to that effect. No need to get so bent out of shape about it. We all make mistakes .. life goes on

LOL did you just call Chad inexperienced? I think he doubled you on the time spent in the BC in 2010... doubled, AT LAST!

Haha... It appears that Robert Yang thinks backcounrty experience is based primarily on SP membership date and the number of posts in internet forums.

by **rhyang** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:17 pm

I've been hiking and backpacking in the Sierra for more than ten years. You guys can insult me all you want, I don't care -- it's just the internet and ruder people than you have come and gone.

Thanks granjero for the illuminating posts.

by **x15x15** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:06 pm

this whole thread stinks of nooBism...

golly jeepers, can anyone tell me what it will be like in august, 2015?

oh come on, give me a break. cant we all just get along?

The following user would like to thank x15x15 for this post
anita

by **thegib** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:54 pm

Dang, people sound like they've got cabin fever already. Ease up. I like a (really light) tent, it creeps me out those chipmunks running back and forth across my bag.

by **fedak** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 12:04 am

Mr Leghorn wrote:The funny thing is, for all the posts to my question with pictures, and people talking about bugs, no one has actually answered the question. Compared to some places I have been, the bad looking original picture isn't that bad, and the picture from above is a joke. I see a whopping 6 mosquitoes on the black hat. Thats not bad at all for a swampy area or a place which is being tossed around as bad for mosquito. The first picture is pretty bad, but I've seen worse.

> The first picture is pretty bad, but I've seen worse.[

I've seen worse in the Sierras as well, but that was the best pic I had.

I wish I had a pic from the Mokulumne a few years back when I was holding out my hand and had it almost completely covered- but it was dusk and that shot didn't turn out.

To answer the question, there is about 1-2 weeks spring at a given location/elevation where the Skeeters are simply maddeningly unbearable.
Its a crap shoot as to exactly when exactly it will hit a particular spot.

At their worst, the Sierra skeeters are nowhere near as bad as the skeeters/flies in the 1000 lakes region of Minnesota/Ontario. (The only other region I've got substantial experience with)
And I'll endure 10x the amount of skeeters rather than deal with biting black flies

I'll usually avoid shorts/short shirts until skeeter season is over in August.
And a headnet/gloves are part of my standard dayhike pack. (They weigh almost nothing and when you need it you *really* need it)
With a headnet/gloves and long pant/sleeves you are pretty much Sierra skeeterproof.

by **lcarreau** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 1:51 am

by **Sierra Ledge Rat** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:57 pm

One summer I spent 13 weeks backpacking and climbing through the High Sierra. Not one day of rain. Not one.

by **winemanvan** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 3:07 pm

Mr Leghorn wrote:The funny thing is, for all the posts to my question with pictures, and people talking about bugs, no one has actually answered the question. Compared to some places I have been, the bad looking original picture isn't that bad, and the picture from above is a joke. I see a whopping 6 mosquitoes on the black hat. Thats not bad at all for a swampy area or a place which is being tossed around as bad for mosquito. The first picture is pretty bad, but I've seen worse.

Yes, the mosquitoes can get pretty bad, but if you bring 98% DEET it won't matter. The worst mosquitoes I have ever seen in the Sierra were in Yosemite near Vogelsang in July. This was in the pre-DEET days and it was miserable, but nowhere near as bad as the bionic mosquitoes I have experienced in Minnesota, or the swamps here in the Deep South. As far as the weather is concerned, if you're worried about carrying a bulky tent and its added weight, then just take a tube tent. It weighs maybe a pound, and it's easy to set up and gives you ample shelter for July in the Sierra. You can use it as a ground tarp when the sky is crystal clear at night(most probably every night), and fall asleep watching the stars.

by **lcarreau** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:51 am

butitsadryheat wrote:
I HATE those little bastards.

by **peninsula** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:40 pm

lcarreau wrote:
butitsadryheat wrote:
I HATE those little bastards.

Pesky little buggers. Used to always go in July or August, now it is September/October—fewer bloodsuckers and less people, too. On the weather in July, afternoon thunderstorms used to be the norm, but my impression over the last 10 years is they are far less frequent. It tends to be drier and hotter these days, especially in August, uncomfortably hot on some days. It never used to get uncomfortably hot as I recall back in the 80s and early 90s. Another development in the last 10 or so years during July/August is the abundance of wildfires and controlled fires filling the skies with a smokey haze and odors. The high Sierra is all about clear air, where one can hardly tell 2 miles from 10 when looking out over beautiful mountain vistas. All of these fires are extremely discouraging!

To ward off mosquitoes, use plenty of DEET and treat clothing with permethrin. I've used a permethrin product called Sawyer Premium; simply soak your clothing in the product for 2 hours. Permethrin is a manmade imitation of pyrethrins. Pyrethrin is a natural insecticide/repellant that works well but degrades rapidly with UV exposure. Permethrin holds up for days. People are naturally leery or insecticides, but in my opinion, permethrin is both safe and effective. Pretreating clothing will make July mosquitos far less a nuisance.

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