December 2010 - GSL-Marina - mailman.xmission.com

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by Dave Shearer 29 Dec '10

29 Dec '10

Gale Force.JPG GALE FORCE WARNING WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THURSDAY... A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THURSDAY. * AFFECTED AREA: THE CACHE VALLEY...THE WASATCH FRONT INCLUDING OGDEN...SALT LAKE CITY AND PROVO AND THE GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT, GREAT SALT LAKE AND MOUNTAINS. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: TOTAL ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 10 INCHES IS EXPECTED ON THE VALLEY FLOORS WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ALONG THE NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT...SOUTHERN SALT LAKE COUNTY AND ACROSS UTAH COUNTY. TOTAL ACCUMULATION OF 8 TO 14 INCHES ON THE BENCHES IS EXPECTED. TOTAL ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES IS EXPECTED IN THE GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS. * TIMING: SNOW...MIXED WITH OR CHANGING OVER TO RAIN ALONG THE VALLEY FLOORS...WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS MORNING. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING AS THE COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA. PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE DAY THURSDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF. * SNOW LEVELS: SNOW LEVELS MAY RISE ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOORS TO AROUND 5000 FEET THIS MORNING...BEFORE QUICKLY FALLING BACK TO THE VALLEY FLOORS THIS AFTERNOON. * WINDS: SOUTH WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 50 MPH WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. WINDS WILL ALSO BE GUSTY FROM THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE COLD FRONT THROUGH THIS EVENING. * IMPACTS: PASSES ALONG I-80 WILL LIKELY REMAIN SNOWPACKED THROUGH TONIGHT...AND TRAVELERS ALONG I-80 SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS. SNOWFALL THIS MORNING WILL LIKELY IMPACT THE MORNING COMMUTE ALONG THE BENCHES. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS EVENINGS COMMUTE. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ESPECIALLY SLICK CONDITIONS AS EARLIER SNOW MAY CAUSE ICY CONDITIONS ON THE ROADWAYS. THIS ICE WILL BE COVERED WITH ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL DURING THE COMMUTE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS A MIXTURE OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE HAZARDOUS. USE CAUTION. BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN RESTRICTIONS IN VISIBILITY DUE TO BLOWING SNOW. KEEP A WINTER STORM SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. FOR WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS FROM THE UTAH DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION VISIT...HTTP://WWW.COMMUTERLINK.UTAH.GOV OR DIAL 511. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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FREE AT LAST!
by Dave Shearer 28 Dec '10

28 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters, The Catalina 30's are Free at last! The first one just left the marina. It looked like he had no trouble at the mouth and is now enjoying a day on the water dodging ice flows. It's all about the sunspots Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Water Report / Communications
by Dave Shearer 23 Dec '10

23 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. Thank God for the Pineapple Express!! What an incredible delivery of moisture! But it has also brought some problems with it. If you all get this email I will be surprised. We have lost all internet for the last several days. And ATT must have lost a cell tower. I am only getting very sporadic signals. This has affected our ability to get timely weather reports out. And good luck getting in touch with us unless you have Marine Band radio or an 800mghrtz radio with the Antelope Peak channel. You may be able to reach me by text since that takes a lot less power than a cell phone call. The office phone is a little more reliable. You can always leave a message. We will return the call when service works. 801-250-1898 This also explains why we are so late with weather forecasts on www.gslmarina.com It literally takes a few hours to get the forecasts out right now. Sorry. I don't know how long this will last. It could be awhile. Now for the Pineapple Express good news: Today: Lake Level is 4194.3 That is a net gain of .7' since the low lake level of 2010 recorded in November. We usually only see a net .2' gain by now. We are now at the same lake level we saw at the end of August. And if you consider that incredible storm surge blowout we saw late November, the mouth of the marina is probably more like the depth we were seeing mid August. Paul Shocker, you may just be able to get out of the marina now. If not, it won't be long. We are now HIGHER than we were at the beginning of this year (January 1st 2010). We are .2' higher. We are where we were at the end of January of this year. What a comeback! Direct Precipitation for December to-date: 287% Direct Precipitation for December (if we do not get any more moisture for the rest of the month): 203% Direct Precipitation for the Water Year (since October 1st) 188% Direct Precipitation since January 1st, 2010: 113% (we were at 61% at the end of March) We have accumulated enough Direct Precipitation that we are now where we would normally be on March 6th, 2011 Snowpack percentage of normal for Bear River drainage: 193% (provides 60% of river water to Great Salt Lake) Snowpack percentage of normal for Weber/Ogden drainage: 173% (provides 20% of river water to Great Salt Lake) Snowpack percentage of normal for Jordan River: 183% (provides 20% of river water to Great Salt Lake) And the accumulated Snowpack percentage of normal for the whole of the Great Salt Lake Drainage: 187% These numbers are a day old. Expect them to go up when NOAA releases their data this afternoon. With these numbers, I am planning on taking my deep draft Capri 30 out and racing the Polar Bear Cup at the end of January. Hope to see a lot of boats on the start line! It's all about the Sunspots! Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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GSL Water Year Update
by Dave Shearer 22 Dec '10

22 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users Christmas has come early this year folks! The Pineapple Express has really delivered for us. Rivers flowing into Great Salt Lake are all raging right now. The lake is rising faster than I have EVER seen it in December. If this keeps up EVERYONE currently in the water will be able to get out of the marina by the end of January. I don't want to get too excited but I'm seeing numbers right now that support at least a net 0.8' rise in lake level for next year. And if we stay above average precipitation, as we have seen since last April, you can expect that net water increase to continue to go up. Again, I don't want to get too optimistic. There are a lot of variables still. But we would have to go into a significant dry spell for the next several months for that number to adversely be effected. Here is where we are at today. Direct precipitation: for December to date -> 225% (actually 247% if you count today so far) Direct precipitation: For all 31 days of December to date -> 154% (actually 185% if you count today so far) Direct precipitation: for the Water year to date -> 174% Snowpack for GSL Drainage: 184% (Expect that number to go up by the end of the day. NOAA hasn't released yesterday's numbers yet). If you look at the average DIRECT PRECIPITATION number since October 1st, we have received the equivalent average moisture for all of winter up to February 21st. And we have some more storms next week. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Apologies
by Dave Shearer 21 Dec '10

21 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. My apologies. I was intending to send a very long email about the lake level (as I see it) to a slip renter that asked some questions. Instead I pushed the wrong button and it went out to everyone. There is nothing wrong in the email. I just feel sorry for boring the whole marina community with such a long dissertation from a harbormaster who probably doesn't know what he's talking about. Sorry for filling your emails with long winded trash. For some of you that may find it interesting, at least it will stir some great thought and debate about the lake. Again, my apologies for filling your already full emails with a very long bunch of gobledy gook. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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More on sun spots
by Dave Shearer 21 Dec '10

21 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters The snowpack for the Great Salt Lake Drainage is now 176% More information about our precipitation and snowpack can be viewed at http://www.gslmarina.com/WaterWatchReport/tabid/67/Default.aspx Got to love those sunspots Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Sun Spots
by Dave Shearer 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users This last storm has been juicy. The water year starts October First. And we have had a fantastic water year. Since the first of October we have received all of the expected precipitation for October, November, December, January, and half of February. And, of course, we are still only in December. And we have a lot of precipitation aimed right at Great Salt Lake for the month of December It's all about the sun spots. Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Bottom Of The Pit Party
by Dave Shearer 13 Dec '10

13 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users, Just a reminder that the Bottom-Of-The-Pit Chili Party is this Saturday at the Great Salt Lake State Marina from 11am to 3pm. Please bring your favorite chili dish (or rolls, crackers, breads, etc) Or just show up and enjoy great company. And on Christmas Day, the Harbormaster will have clam chowder available for those that just drop by after noon. Hope to see you this Saturday. Dave Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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Lake Rising
by Dave Shearer 10 Dec '10

10 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters, It appears we are seeing some very good news in water reaching the lake. With the recent warm temperatures and heavy precipitation in October/November, it appears we are seeing a significant rise and flow into Farmington Bay of Great Salt Lake. Water, for the first time in several years, is actually flowing through the eastern breach of the Davis Causeway. That would mean that Farmington bay has an elevation that is higher than the main body of Great Salt Lake and that water is flowing from Farmington Bay at a higher than normal cfs and pouring into Great Salt Lake. And the Goggins (an arm of the Jordan River) is also flowing at a higher cfs into GSL. And we are also seeing a rise in the lake during the fall/winter cycle that is faster and steeper than normal. Our low lake level for 2010 was 4193.65 Our lake level today is 4194 All that means we are seeing a lot of very good signs that things may drastically be changing for the better. Even the deeper draft boats may be sailing soon. It's all about the sunspots! Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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In search of Sunset Photo
by Dave Shearer 08 Dec '10

08 Dec '10

GSL Slip Renters Jack Gray is looking for a photo of a sunset that occurred on Great Salt Lake this last July 30th. Jack would like to find anyone who may have taken a photo that night and get a copy so that he can present it to the widow of one of our former sailors who passed away that day. Thank you, Dave Dave Shearer Harbormaster Great Salt Lake State Marina 801-209-9142

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