12-18-2013, 05:27 PM
Oh, please don't apologise, Opihikao! Summit operations for all the telescopes have pretty much closed down for the night, but over the last few years this has become a less common event. Large snowfalls at the summit have been much rarer in recent years and in the days when I used to be up there regularly I did enjoy the the snow and ice!
Having said that, I'm curious to see how much snow we get. The summit climate over the last three or for years has been noticeably different and very dry - it seems to be the main reason why Lake Waiau near the summit has almost completely dried up (last report I heard was that there was basically two or three bathtubs of water left). Is this just a normal climate cycle or something new? Not sure we know yet. El Nino and La Nina patterns seem to have something to do with this, at least in my opinion, but what's driving those patterns?
Anyway, it's probably snow chains for the day crews tomorrow - assuming the road is even passable.
Having said that, I'm curious to see how much snow we get. The summit climate over the last three or for years has been noticeably different and very dry - it seems to be the main reason why Lake Waiau near the summit has almost completely dried up (last report I heard was that there was basically two or three bathtubs of water left). Is this just a normal climate cycle or something new? Not sure we know yet. El Nino and La Nina patterns seem to have something to do with this, at least in my opinion, but what's driving those patterns?
Anyway, it's probably snow chains for the day crews tomorrow - assuming the road is even passable.