Stop the presses

This just in from our most faithful blog reader in Flagstaff--Flag is progged to get 8-14 inches more snow in the next 24-36 hours!  WOW--this is wonderfully wild in a good way.

I cued up the QPF graphic and, yes, it's true, there's enough water progged all across the Rimlands and the White Mountains to verify this snowfall prediction.  I'd bet there's simply no way any part of the Rimlands will get LESS than six inches.  And there's a high probability that the Rimlands will get MORE than 12 inches!  How good is that?  Meanwhile, the Salt watershed (AKA The White Mountains) will almost assuredly get upwards of a foot more snow ALL ACROSS the ENTIRE snowpack!  Is that wild or what?

What does this mean?  Well, regular readers know that the existing snowpack has been consolidating and compacting.  The famous SWE (Snow Water Equivalent) has remained basically the same.  This is a good thing--a VERY good thing.  Meanwhile, the existing snowpack, even as good as it is, remains a tad bit vulnerable to unseasonable warmth or a warm rain.

What's happening with this incoming snow event is the equivalent of throwing a nice down comforter over the existing snowpack.  It's going to insulate and protect that hardened existing snowpack.  The layer that's going to get put down in the next couple of days won't be compacted and consolidated.  Therefore, it can take some heat--it can take some rain and it will shield the existing snowpack from the affects of those events.

What this will do in terms you and I can understand is simple--it's going to protect an already outrageous snowpack and virtuallty assure a kick anatomy river running season that could easily extend well into May on the Salt and easily ALL of March on the Verde.  I mean this is totally awesome.

Now that the existing snowpack has some decent protection, it's going to take much more than a garden variety low intensity "warm storm" to knock off that snowpack.  Granted, a huge, high intensity warm rain will wipe a snowpack clean. but that's not what we are seeing in the prevailing weather pattern.  We're seeing REAL cold arctic air colliding with El Nino-driven water vapor and we're seeing it collect right smack at Ground Zero for Arizona River Runners!  How good is this?  REAL GOOD!

I will keep this blog updated on the final snowfall totals and we shall see just how the water equates to the snow density, etc.  In the meantime, let's hear a stirring rendition of that 1929 classic: "Happy Days Are Here Again!"

So long sad times
Go long bad times
We are rid of you at last

Howdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

Altogether shout it now
There's no one
Who can doubt it now
So let's tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again

Your cares and troubles are gone
There'll be no more from now on
From now on ...

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So, Let's sing a song of cheer again

Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again!