December 9, 2019

Good morning friends, 

The temperatures ranged from a high yesterday of 40 degrees and a low last night of 27 degrees The current temperature this morning is 40 degrees. We had no new precipitation. 

The snow is mostly gone with no snow at the official point of measurement. There is a smattering  of slush in and around the Lodge grounds.  

As I stated yesterday it Looks like it’s shaping up to be a wet and windy start to our week. 

Here is the official report from The National Weather Service

Detailed Forecast

Today A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 48. Windy, with a south wind 30 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. 

Tonight Rain likely, mainly after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 46. Windy, with a southwest wind 30 to 35 mph decreasing to 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday Rain. Temperature falling to around 37 by 5pm. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
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Tuesday Night Rain before 2am, then sleet likely between 2am and 3am, then snow likely after 3am. Low around 29. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow and sleet accumulation of around an inch possible.

Wednesday A 20 percent chance of snow before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 33. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Cherokee Orchard remains closed above Twin Creeks Science Center. 

Well guys today was a typical winter day on top here. The weather changes quickly. The morning saw a mist that after most of the trees had shed their coats of snow, covered them with a layer of frost. Pretty but not quite as pretty as the snow. The mist then gave way to the sunshine by mid afternoon. Of course the wind was fairly strong all day which had a lot to do with our rapidly changing weather conditions. 

I didn’t see as many hikers up top today as yesterday but one of the hikers provided a real treat for me. 

Let me say first that I’ve me so many wonderful people that have hiked to the Lodge in the short time that I’ve been here. 

This person was someone that I’ve heard of for years. His modesty keeps me from mentioning his name but he’s one of those people who have really left his mark on our beloved mountain and Lodge. He first worked at the Lodge on the crew in the early 70’s. He also did double duty as the winter caretaker during which he helped build the office building that currently sits on the property with the fantastic views. He had some great stories and insights and I thoroughly enjoyed them. 

You know sometimes when you meet people that you kind of look up to they don’t always live up to your expectations. It’s really special when they exceed them. 

It really made my day. 

Now as always, enjoy nature and please stay safe. 

Steve