By Eric White The Details: This Season: Our season started late and has had higher winds than normal above tree line. Our precipitation is around 106% of normal since September 1. We had heavy snow fall in early January followed by 2 weeks of dry weather with wet weather in the last part of January. Snow pack at lower elevations is well above normal, near normal at tree line, and below normal above tree line due to wind scouring. 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 cloudy skies and calm winds in town this morning, and it is currently 30F in Mt. Shasta and 33F in Dunsmuir. 14-18 inches of new snow fell in town over the last 24 hours. Mt. Shasta - We are measuring 109 inches of snow on the ground near tree line with 16 inches of new snow over the last 24 hours. However, I would estimate 20-24 inches fell with 6-8 inches of settlement. Temperatures have ranged between 17F to 20F at 7000 ft. and it is currently a 20F. Winds this morning are estimated at 20 mph below tree line from the WNW. Above tree line winds are estimated at 30 mph from the WNW and on the upper mountain winds are estimated at 30-40 mph from the WNW. Castle/Mt. Eddy - Mt. Eddy received 23 inches of new snow and 14 inches of settlement in the last 24 hours. We estimate around 8 ft. of snow on the ground. The temperature on Mt. Eddy this morning is 19F. Temperatures near Castle Lake have been between 20F-26F over the last 24 hours and currently are around 25F. Weather Forecast: Another duzie yesterday with very heavy snow fall (some hours had 3-5 inches/hour) and gusty winds at mid elevations! The storm has moved south and will bring heavy precipitation today to the central and southern Sierra along with very strong winds. In our area, snow showers will continue today with up to 1 inch falling and temperatures staying cool. Temperatures will warm on Tuesday when a warm front moves into Washington and BC. We will only see relatively light precipitation out of this, but with snow levels rising to 4000-4500 ft. Winds will move to the NW and N, today and Monday, reaching their highest speeds at mid and upper elevations tonight and early tomorrow morning as a strong N jet stream moves across our area. Today, temperatures will stay in the teens to low 20's at mid elevations and below zero on the upper mountain (wind chill -36F). Winds will be light from the W and NW below tree line, and 25-30 mph near tree line. NNW winds will increase late tonight above tree line, reaching 80+ mph at upper elevations. Snow Pack: Some natural avalanches may have occurred yesterday evening with very heavy snow fall and wind loading. The snow pack can't adjust to so much snow in such a short amount of time. The snow pack will be settling and stabilizing over the next few days, but during this process, things will remain touchy. Our biggest concern will be with NW and N winds transporting a lot of this new snow to E and S aspects. Large wind slabs will form and remain sensitive on the leeward side of ridges. Don't let the powder fool you into testing steeper slopes (35+ degrees), especially on wind loaded aspects. Cornices will be sensitive today, and when broken, will trigger slides in the wind deposited snow below. The best conditions will be below tree line on slopes less than 30-35 degrees and unaffected by the wind. Watch for any of the Red Flags of avalanche danger: recent avalanches, shooting cracks, "whumpfing" sounds, wind transporting snow, rapid warming or rain on snow, heavy snow fall. Training with an avalanche transceiver 2/2/08. Using an avalanche probe to find a buried transceiver during a clinic, 2/2/08. Local backcountry skier trains with her transceiver and probe at the last clinic of the season, 2/2/08. Thanks to our Friends group, The Fifth Season and Shasta Mountain Guides for helping to put these on this season! 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!