Up-Coming Events: TONIGHT!! January 18, 6 pm - Free Avalanche Awareness presentation at the Mt. Shasta Library 1-1.5 hours January 19, 9am - Free Avalanche Transceiver clinic. Meet at the Fifth Season and be prepared to travel on snow. January 26, 6 pm - 6th Annual Snow Ball Fundraising event put on by Friends of the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center and sponsored by Timberworks and Chitwood Energy Management at the Mt. Shasta City Park with Dinner, music, dancing, all types of beverages and tons of raffle and silent auction items. Best party of the year! January 27, Flying Squirrel Classic - Telemark and Rando fun race; costumes optional; backcountry demo gear available. Benefit for Friends of the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center and sponsored by The Fifth Season. Registration 11:30-12:30, race at 1:00 pm. Best fun race of the season! Special Note: The County plans to open the Castle Lake road today (1/18) or tomorrow to Methodist Camp. They have begun work on the Everitt Mem. Hwy. to Bunny Flat, but it is not expected to open until next week. Climbers- get ready for a real climb! 9000 ft! Avalanche Advisory for Friday, January 18, 2008 at 6:15 am By Eric White The Details: This Season: We had an early thin snow pack with December bringing near normal precipitation and 3.5 feet of snow along with strong winds above tree line. Our precipitation is around 101% of normal since September 1. A strong storm series in early January deposited 4-8 feet of snow with huge wind drifts. We are in a "La Nina" climate condition which often means wetter than normal winters in our area and expectations are for above normal precipitation into the spring of 2008. Weather Observations: We have clear skies with calm winds in town this morning, and it is currently 30F in Mt. Shasta and 37F in Dunsmuir. Mt. Shasta - We are measuring 66 inches of snow on the ground near tree line with no new snow over the last 24 hours. We had a few snowflakes Tuesday morning, but no new snow has accumulated over the last week. 1 inch of settlement has occurred over the last 24 hours with 6 inches of settlement over the last 5 days and temperatures have ranged between 17F to 33F at 7000 ft. and it is currently 25F. Winds this morning at tree line were estimated at around 30 mph from the N, and 5-10 mph from the NE below tree line. On the upper mountain winds are estimated this morning at 40 mph from the N. Castle/Mt. Eddy - Mt. Eddy received no new snow and 1 inch of settlement in the last 24 hours. We estimate around 5 ft. of snow on the ground. Temperatures near Castle Lake have been between 16F-50F over the last 24 hours and currently are around 26F. Weather Forecast: High pressure continues to dominate our weather pattern and looks like it will continue into late January with cold and dry conditions. However, a weak inside slider will bring some clouds and a chance of snow Monday with little accumulation expected. Climate gurus suggest a wet February - keep your fingers crossed! For today we can expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures at mid elevations warming to 30-40F. At lower elevations temperatures will reach to low to mid 40's. Winds below tree line today will 15-25 mph from the NE this morning and becoming light from the E later today and tonight. At mid elevations, winds will be 25-35 mph from the NNE this morning, becoming 10-20 mph from the NE later today and this evening. On the upper mountain, winds will be 30 mph from the NNE today slowing to 20 mph from the NNW tomorrow morning. Snow Pack: With a week and a half of relatively stable weather since our blizzard event in early January, our snow pack has settled and increased its' stability. The only place which maintains some moderately sensitive slabs is on the upper mountain where wind transport continues. N and E winds are loading S and W aspects, creating some small wind slabs. In fact, on Tuesday, people reported an avalanche at 13,000 ft on S and W aspects on the SE side of Mt. Shasta near the Konwakiton glacier at 3:30 pm. I was unable to find evidence of the slide which would have slid several thousand feet with a well hidden deposition area in Mud Creek. This is more important information for climbers, whereas skiers and riders at mid and lower elevations will be seeing spring like snow conditions. Road work continues on the lower Everitt which may open to Bunny Flat next week. Castle Lake road should open to Methodist Camp today or tomorrow. Some important thoughts: This advisory does not apply to Ski Areas or Highways and is for the Mt. Shasta, Castle Lake and Mt. Eddy back country. Use this information for guidance only. You may find different conditions in the backcountry and should travel accordingly. This advisory expires at midnight tonight. As always, use safe travel practices: travel with a partner, travel one at a time in suspect areas, go from one island of safety to another, choose safe routes, wear a transceiver, carry a shovel and probe, and know how to use your gear!