The 16th storm system of winter 2023/24 – but the first major one in terms of expected precipitation – is forecast to move slowly across the San Jacinto mountains between Monday 5th and Thursday 8th February 2024.
Please check this page for periodic updates – the most recent is at the top – throughout the multiple day storm sequence. I tentatively plan to issue the next comprehensive Report update on 8th February.
UPDATE Thursday 8th February at 0700
San Jacinto Peak added another 8 inches of snow overnight, for a storm total of 26-28 inches, and a current total depth of four-and-a-half to five feet (with considerable drifting throughout).
Idyllwild (at 5550ft) added another 3.5 inches of snow overnight, for a cumulative 5.25 inches in the past 24 hours. It had stopped snowing down there by dawn.
UPDATE Wednesday 7th February at 2030
Although it seemingly snowed all day in Idyllwild it barely accumulated, adding only another 0.5 inch all afternoon. My San Jacinto Peak measurement actually bizarrely decreased, as scouring by the wind removed the top inch, so no net increase up there either.
UPDATE Wednesday 7th February at 1330
I hiked to San Jacinto Peak this morning, breaking trail all the way from Humber Park through moderate depth powder. It snowed on me much of the morning, but generally very lightly and tiny fine rounded grains. The periods of sun, especially throughout Wellman Trail, were a bonus. There was abundant evidence of heavy freezing rain to 10,000 ft elevation, and locally even higher.
New snow accumulation since 4th at San Jacinto Peak is 18-20 inches, for a total depth of 51 inches, at Wellman Divide also 20 inches (total depth 35), at Saddle Junction 11 inches (total 25), and 6 inches at Humber Park (total 8), but those numbers continue to climb very slowly.
Idyllwild added 2.5 inches overnight plus a slowly accumulating 1.5 inches so far today, for a current storm total of 6 inches (at 5550 ft).
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UPDATE Tuesday 6th February at 1830
It has snowed for most of the past eight hours since the last update at all elevations above about 5000 ft, but largely stopping in the past hour or so. In Idyllwild the new snow has struggled to settle, rarely accumulating to more than an inch of wet snow before partially melting. Two inches of new snow have accumulated at Humber Park (6500 ft) for a storm total of about five inches (total depth near 7 inches), with four new inches in Long Valley (8600 ft) for a storm total of 8-9 inches and a total depth near 16 inches. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has completed emergency road work early, and will reopen tomorrow, 7th February.
UPDATE Tuesday 6th February at 1050
Relatively little further precipitation has fallen this morning. My survey of several trailhead areas found two inches of snow had fallen in Pine Cove (6100 ft) overnight, with three inches at Marion Mountain trailhead (6300 ft). Three new inches had also fallen on top of the 1-2 inches of slush at Humber Park (6500 ft, photo below). In all these locations, the new snow had a very wet, heavy consistency. USFS had plowed Azalea Drive all the way to the Marion Mountain trailhead. On our hike on lower Marion Mountain Trail mid morning it drizzled on us, but then at Humber Park it was snowing gently. In Idyllwild we have added just 0.07 inch of rain (occasionally sleet) in the past four hours, and Long Valley (8600 ft) has added only another inch of snow.
The forecasts have shifted significantly this morning, with relatively little further precipitation expected over the next 24 hours, but with a substantial second wave expected on Wednesday night. Up to six inches of snow are now tentatively forecast for Idyllwild, with at least that amount expected in the high country, between late Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday morning, 7th-8th February.
UPDATE Tuesday 6th February at 0700
Steady overnight rain in Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) added another 0.76 inch, for a current storm total of 1.79 inches. It briefly turned to snow in the early hours, leaving a dusting of barely 0.25 inch, before turning back to spotty rain by dawn even though the air temperature remains at freezing. The dropping freeze level meant that Long Valley (8600 ft) added four inches of snow overnight. On the west side of the mountain, Poppet Flat (3800 ft) leads storm rainfall totals at 2.24 inches, with most locations reporting 1.4-1.9 inches.
UPDATE Monday 5th February at 2020
Light rain has continued all day at elevations up to about 9000 ft. Idyllwild has recorded 0.96 inch since 0700 this morning, Long Valley (8600 ft) just over 1.4 inches since last night, and most locations in the San Jacinto mountains around one inch, other than a few locations around Pine Cove led by Dutch Flat (5800 ft) at 1.7 inches. The notable exception is a station on the north-west side of the mountains, at 6800 ft roughly a mile north of Fuller Ridge campground, which had measured 4.65 inches by late this evening. This demonstrates how the storm system is largely to our north and west, only brushing (relatively speaking) the San Jacinto mountains at this time. Forecasts suggest this may change tonight and tomorrow, by which time temperatures will have dropped and consequently areas above about 5500 ft are expected to be receiving snow rather than rain.
UPDATE Monday 5th February at 1040
I recorded the following short video at a soggy Saddle Junction this morning (it is cut short as the camera got so wet it appeared to malfunction). Although Idyllwild (at 5550 ft) recorded only 0.07 inch of rain overnight, since 0700 we have already had an additional 0.55 inch. Long Valley (8600 ft) is reporting 0.66 inch of rain, with no new snow accumulation yet although the precipitation there is periodically sleety. Radar suggests we remain at the fringe of the main system, which has been heavily impacting areas immediately north and west of the San Jacinto mountains since yesterday evening.
UPDATE Sunday 4th February 2024 at 1945
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will be closed 5th-7th February to complete repairs on the flood-damaged access road to Valley Station. It is scheduled to reopen on Thursday 8th. (The Tram was previously closed on 1st-2nd February due to the same problem.)
San Jacinto Trail Report 