The storm that arrived after Christmas dropped anywhere from 12 (on the east end) to 28+(on the west end) inches of snow and greatly improved conditions. Cold temperatures have also helped to increase ice formation. Given the heavy snow and winds we expect there will be some tree cleanup needed. We were also made aware of some plowing that occurred for some utility work prior to Christmas – the recent snow should help that situation. In addition to this good news the race has been given permission to use the “old” Mead Hills bypass route which will not only eliminate some challenging hills for the half marathon but also has the added benefit of requiring less snow to be event ready (given its more gradual gradients) than the most recent Mead Hills bypass route.
The upcoming forecast calls for a range of 2-6 more inches of new snow Sunday night and then we will enter a period of above average/above freezing temperatures for the rest of the week. Overnight temperatures should remain below freezing which will be helpful – we hope snow loss will remain minimal. The long range forecast then looks to include some decent potential for winter precipitation after that – what kind and how much is unclear. Ski conditions should remain quite good in the near term!
