River Notes Archive

River Notes for Monday, March 25, 2002

Important information about River Notes.

Snowfall on Friday and over the weekend has boosted the state's snowpack to 92% of average for the date. Today's Summary of Snow Water Equivalents put the Northern Sierra snowpack at 100%, the Central Sierra at 94%, and the Southern Sierra at 83% for the date. Run-off forecasts for Southern Sierra rivers continue below average. If the current weather trend continues, and Spring temperatures are not abnormally hot, the peak flow on the Upper Kern should be near, or slightly above, last year's mid-May peak of 2600 cfs.

It now appears a system longer range forecast models had suggested might affect the Southern Sierra will likely stay off shore and track southward before moving onshore near the Mexican border. Cut-off laws are notoriously difficult to forecast, but most of the computer models are projecting this path. Warmer weather should result in increasing flow on the Upper Kern by the weekend.

Surface and sub-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific continue to suggest the possible development of another El Nino.

Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data. Click on "Current" to get the latest info. (SCE reports that flow phone data is updated twice daily. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821.)

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

River Notes for Friday, March 15, 2002

Important information about River Notes.

A pattern change appears to be in the works for West Coast and Southern Sierra weather. Although we've had some snow in the Kern River basin, February and the first half of March have been relatively dry. Yesterday's Summary of Snow Water Equivalents put the Northern Sierra snowpack at 98%, the Central Sierra at 90%, and the Southern Sierra at 78%. The March 13 update of the Bulletin 120 Runoff forecast for April-July was well below normal for the Kern River.

Any snow we get late in the season is doubly important since not only is snow being added to the pack, but no snow is being lost to snowmelt. Earlier this month, warm weather and the increasing declination of the sun had resulted in an early start to the Spring thaw, and the snowpack was losing water through about 9,500 ft. At one point the Upper Kern jumped up to about 700 cfs.

Cooler weather has shut down the snowmelt, and yesterday a weak system added a little snow. Another weak shortwave may add a little more snow tonight. The temperature this morning at Pascoes at 9150 ft. was a chilly 6 degrees. Just a couple days ago the low temp was 32 degrees and the high near 50. Here's a plot of temperature for Pascoes since March 1.

Another system is expected to affect the area Sunday. Both the 06z AVN and 12z ETA have a more eastward track for the shortwave and this, combined with cold temperatures, should limit the moisture. Ensemble forecasts hint at an increasing chance of precipitation over the next two weeks. The current 6-10 day outlook is for above normal precipitation in Southern California.

This increase in precipitation probability could be due in part to warming of eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures and the possible development of another El Nino.

Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data. Click on "Current" to get the latest info. (SCE reports that flow phone data is updated twice daily. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821.)

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

River Notes for Friday, March 8, 2002

Important information about River Notes.

Mrs. Tito's Kernville Elementary Kindergarten and 1st Grade Class made a field trip around Kernville, CA and stopped by Sierra South last Friday. These 5 and 6 year-olds were captivated by whitewater videos and bouncing in the Hyside Mini-Me raft. All of them got to sit inside a whitewater kayak, put on a lifejacket, and hold a kayak paddle, many for the first time. Everyone had a great time. Thursday's rain & snow in the high country was not lost on them either. Quinn Bohn, age 5 said, "This means the river is going to be really good this year, doesn't it?" Smart kid!

The new Hyside Mini-Me raftwill be used exclusively at the Kern River Festival Raft race in April. Participants must have a minimum of 3 people per raft. A max of 4 is permitted. One participant must be a woman. Should be a wet & wild ride!

So, what are you going to paddle this year? Lots of new cool choices for everyone. For the river runners out there, you should definitely look at the Sonic & SuperSonic, and the GT & GTX. These flat bottomed, shorter river runners perform better than RPMs and the like. In our opinion, these are the boats to finally upgrade to. Maybe you're not interested in cartwheeling, and we understand. These boats allow you to run bigger, harder water, and extend the paddling season, because they're shorter. But they still have good foot room, and storage for lunch, first-aid, rescue gear, and a throwbag. The Mutant is the best creek boat we have ever seen.

For the playboaters, it just keeps getting better! Whether you park 'n play, river run 'n play, or just play, there's a freestyle boat perfect for you. The GForces and S6 are short, short. In these boats aerial moves are a possibility for the mere mortals among us. With the introduction of The Spin, Full-Tilt, and Lucid, we welcome back Perception. The EZ series has added the Super EZ and new outfitting to again lead the pack. The Aces slice like the proverbial hot knife in butter. The Siren is a great choice for the smaller women. Come up and try one of these out. Say you read it on the website and we will let you try one out for free through March 10th! (Some restrictions apply. Call us for details.)

Complete specs for all the new boats are listed in our Interactive Kayak Comparison Chart.

Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data. Click on "Current" to get the latest info. (SCE reports that flow phone data is updated twice daily. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821.)

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

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