Wednesday, October 17, 2012

10/17 First Autumn Storm Update

Counting Winter Coho Salmon on a small coastal creek, north Olympic Peninsula coast, with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition.



 An example of the value of monitoring river flows, marine weather and mountain weather online, via NOAA and the National Weather Service, (links provided below previously), take a look at the river flows this morning! We began this storm cycle a few days ago with freezing levels at and above 10,000 feet, which means that most of the warm rain melted snow and ice in the high peaks, and there was significant runoff into the rivers. So it did not take very long for the rivers to jump up in flows. But in the last day or so the mountain freezing levels have dropped to around half of that height, the mountains are getting some snow and ice again,( just take a look at the Hurricane Ridge Web cam via the National Park Service linked to NOAA/NWS), and... VOILA!- the rivers are dropping into shape!  This could be a coin toss by the weekend if the mountains warm up again with the next push of rain. But for a day or so anyway, we could get some good conditions on the Olympic Peninsula rivers. Yesterday the beaches were in beautiful shape, not too windy, and the nearshore waters had returned to that sweet jade-green color that we like to see. I will be fishing the salt every chance that I get right through November, and scouting the rivers too!

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