Weather or Whether 4 NorCal Sierras

[63bkpkr]

We are expecting some weather
Though actually the estimate is whether
We have snow or rain or both or none or some.

What torment to wait and see what is to transpire
The waiting and baiting by the weather estimators
Whether to prep our gear or let ourselves out for hire?

A week or two More might tell the tale
Will we be panning, or sluicing or sampling
But to be out there would be great especially to share an Ale!

The snow on the ground is a thinning
From elevations low to 7000 feet we are winning
The next two weeks will be telling whether we
Will start soon or if the Weather will keep us (you fill in the blank)

A poet I'm not but I'm bored so there it is, nothing that Lanny need worry about!. Keep on smiling ........63bkpkr

 

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[bug]

I agree with GW. Although we had a lot of rain and snow, and the rivers and creeks are topped off, we did not have any epic flows to get the cavitation going and really change things around. 2016-17 winter did some damage but this was a disappointing winter

 

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[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Minimal movement this year...2017's 40,000 & 25,000 CFS events rearranged the rivers... this year, we can hope to find some sand or gravel bar changes and a little flood gold. Hopefully a fair amount of erosion due to the high amount of rain... but I am not nearly as excited as I was in 2017.

Hell, I am still in search of that 2017 peanut buttery pay layer!! I just hope the river levels drop soon (which they should with all of the high heat coming) so I can get in the water and start sniping!

 

[63bkpkr]

Gee Whiz Goldwasher, you just popped another dream bubble! However, I will admit that you also saved folks from a whole lot of serious work in hopes that the water this year has done something special to the rivers. For "MY NorCal River" it has been running high for many months but then again it has not been high enough to actually do anything, aka it has not moved huge amounts of gravel.

Tahoegold, check out the charts for the Bear & the NFAR for the year 2017 to see what real water flow is like. This year we've had a lot of snow in the Sierras but as Goldwasher has indicated "the conditions are not right". The Sierras are starting to warm up so the river flows will pick up but with high flows all winter, 2x to 3x normal, it will likely mean lower flows than normal for late spring early summer.

For 2019 on the NFAR I had also been hoping for some seriously high flows, @ 50,000 & 40,000 cfs type of stuff like in 2017 but no such luck. Or, Weather Forecasting is more scientific but it is still a guessing game..............63bkpkr

Note: each drainage system is different, has different weather patterns & temperatures so investigate the drainage system of your interest!

USGS Real Time Water Flow Data
Weather Matters
dreamflows
etc.

 

[Tahoegold]

Ok, got it. There still must be spots from 2017 that still haven't been dug. So, it's hiking and prospecting!

 

[tadvanallen]

Just wondering, if there is a update for the weather and water flows this week june13th through 20th...looking at Grass Valley areas.. thnx

 

[Tahoegold]

This may help... View attachment 1721451

 

[tadvanallen]

Sweet.... Thanx Tahoegold... very cool charts....

 

[Goldwasher]

Ok, got it. There still must be spots from 2017 that still haven't been dug. So, it's hiking and prospecting!

Dude there are so few actual prospectors.

There is ample ground to dig. stuff that hasn't been dug after any of the major floods going back to the early 1900's

Just get out and look.

Storms, floods... and who may have dug where are the tiniest aspect of what will get you gold....Practically not even an aspect to consider.

For me I care more about the over burden a storm removes, while hoping it doesn't deposit more in places I don't want it.

The gold at and near the bottom isn't going far most likely it isn't going anywhere.

 

[Tahoegold]

That is very well put GW. There's very few who actually prospect and read the land/river and dig to find the locations that have gold. Your point about where the river has removed overburden is a key point. The snow pack runoff won't do the action to move the gravel like that. Ww can look forward to having running water longer. That's something we can use to work with this year.

 

[63bkpkr]

Yes, the water will be high into July and depending on which river drainage system you are working that will mean the rivers will be dangerous and likely cold. The NFAR, at 250 CFS a strong person can not swim up river against the current. At any CFS value over that well, it just makes staying alive all that much more unlikely should one fall in! I knew of a fellow that hiked down Green Valley Trail for the Trout opening day, his body was found down river on the other side of Giant Gap later in the year.

The snow at the Royal Gorge Ski Resort is melting nicely every day and into the night, check out their Webcam. I check that and then I check the CFS value as a comparison. I mean it does not indicate what All the rivers are doing but it helps me psychologically to see the snow melting and how the river flow changes. What would happen if the Sierras heated up quickly?

Have fun and may it be golden and stay safe!...........63bkpkr

 

[Tahoegold]

Supposed to be in the high 70s for a week and a half with thunder storms next week. We are in the snow melt time right now and there's quite a bit of snow pack still. Squaw and Alpine ski resorts will be open 4th of July if that says anything!

 

[63bkpkr]

Thank Tahoegold, I was wondering where the main snow deposit is in the Sierras as Highway 80 webcams show very little snow in the distance. The Webcam at Squaw/Alpine ski resorts help a lot so yes they have snow but it is getting spotty and 70's during the day down to mid 40's at night might mean they will be lucky to stay open through July 4th. Likely the snow will not melt out of some ridge lines till mid to late July so rivers will run high through August. Ok, I can deal with that!............63bkpkr

Note: The Webcam at Royal Gorge Ski Resort - two days ago to this morning shows major melting going on