With only a light sprinkle on Monday, it looks like the water year will end with a whimper today, but there is the potential that it will start out with a roar toward the end of the week. What forecasters are saying could be the first significant storm since last spring is headed south and will arrive in California on Friday. Whether it has the energy to make it over the Sierra, or so much energy it shreds itself, is still in question.
Since I doubt September will change the final scores for the water year much, here's how it should end up. Minden remains in the lead with 90 percent average precipitation for the year. Up in the mountains, Monitor Pass was the champ with its snow telemetry reading 76 percent of average, followed by Ebbetts Pass with 70 percent. Markleeville was at the bottom with 57 percent. Just to show how a few miles can make a world of difference, Carson City was at the bottom of the list with 49 percent of average moisture with only 5.12 inches for the year, compared to Minden's 7.57 inches.
The Highway 395 barrier functioned in an accident about a mile north of Airport Road Monday morning. While the pickup truck that hit the barrier was stuck there for several hours, it didn't cross the median and the driver was unhurt.
The Sierra Front responded to two lightning caused fires on Monday. One was the tree fire near the Alpine County Airport, the other was on Mt. Grant above Walker Lake. Keep an eye for smoke, there's no telling whether there's something else smouldering out there.
