The 24th storm system of winter 2023/24 – but only the second major storm in terms of expected precipitation – is forecast to move slowly across the San Jacinto mountains throughout Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st March 2024.
Please check this page for periodic updates – the most recent is at the top – throughout the multiple day storm sequence. The next comprehensive Report update is planned for the evening of Monday 1st April.
UPDATE Monday 1st April at 1030
The mountain remains largely in thick cloud this morning, with very light snow still falling, but sun and blue skies are forecast by this afternoon. New snow that fell on Sunday 31st was about 3.5 inches at Humber Park (storm total of 10 inches) increasing to 4 inches at San Jacinto Peak (storm total 15 inches).
I recorded a short video report at San Jacinto Peak mid morning on Monday 1st April, summarizing the conditions I found on my early morning ascent (video linked here).
UPDATE Sunday 31st March at 1915
Idyllwild added an additional 0.5 inch of snow last night. Periodic snow continued to fall all day. Flakes are often huge and wet, but are struggling to accumulate, with net melting today below 6000 ft. Ultimately perhaps 2.5 inches accumulated, although perhaps it would have been 6+ if it had been a couple of degrees cooler. Likewise Long Valley (8500 ft) added little more than two inches of new accumulation. Little or no new snow is now forecast for mid and upper elevations for the remainder of today, and with much more benign winds in the high country expected, rather than the blizzard conditions of yesterday, fresh broken tracks should largely survive until the next storm (expected on the night of Thursday 4th).
UPDATE Saturday 30th March at 1930
The first phase of the storm has passed. Fresh snow depths recorded on our descending hike were San Jacinto Peak 11 inches, Wellman Divide (9700 ft) 9 inches, Annie’s Junction (PCT Mile 180.8, 9050 ft) 10 inches, Saddle Junction (PCT Mile 179, 8100 ft) 8.5 inches, Humber Park (6500 ft) 6.5 inches, Idyllwild 5 inches. Kyle Eubanks kindly reported 7 inches at Round Valley and 5 inches at Long Valley.
Total snow depth is now about 55-60 inches at San Jacinto Peak. Kyle put in a snowshoe track to/from Long Valley and Wellman Divide, and I broke trail between Wellman Divide and Humber Park. However our tracks between Wellman Divide and San Jacinto Peak will likely have lasted only a few minutes due to very strong winds and drifting snow in near-blizzard conditions. By comparison, total snow depth at Saddle Junction is about 28-30 inches.
I recorded a short video from PCT Mile 180.8 a.k.a. Annie’s Junction late this afternoon, giving a feel for conditions at that time (available here). Several more inches of snow are expected on Sunday 31st.
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UPDATE Saturday 30th March at 1130
Immediately after my last post, snow got heavier in the high country, now falling at about two inches per hour, with 4 new inches at San Jacinto Peak this morning, a depth likely to increase rapidly. Accompanied by gusty winds, broken tracks are now largely gone.
Light rain in Idyllwild this morning totaled about 0.2 inch, before transitioning through sleet to snow in the past hour. About one inch of snow has already settled at 5550 ft elevation.
UPDATE Saturday 30th March at 0830
Light rain started in Idyllwild at about 0730 with no significant accumulation so far. The storm is coming up from the south-west and is largely just west of the San Jacinto mountains at this time.
About one inch of fresh fine powder has accumulated at San Jacinto Peak this morning. The underlying old snow (average depth about 45 inches) is very hard and icy, ideal conditions for using crampons.
The USFS gate at Humber Park was closed again early this morning.
On my ascent I was struck by the rapid melting this past week. Large parts of Devil’s Slide Trail were clear of snow. At Wellman Divide the snow level had dropped at least six inches in the four days since I last passed that way. The southern California sun is potent after the spring equinox, regardless of elevation.
San Jacinto Trail Report 
Roughly how much snow was there on trail at Wellman Divide? Is there a will established footpath?
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There *was* a track, but snow is coming down heavily now and it is very windy. There are about two inches in tracks, but I expect tracks to be fully erased in the next 1-2 hours. Safe hiking, Jon.
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thanks, Jon
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