EVEREST LIVE

May 9, 2001
Wednesday

Weather Synopsis for the next 7 days:

The latest satellite imagery of the region shows cloudiness and the potential for rain/snow near and north of the Himalayan Mouontain range. The precipitation in the area is indicated to be in patches and not continuous across the entire region. This is likely to continue as long as the jet stream persists in the region.

High level wind charts show that winds at 34,000 feet are between 50 and 60 knots from the west to west-northwest across the Himalayas at this time and also for early Thursday morning. The forecast charts show an upper air high pressure area building over Pakistan, Afghanistan and northwest India by 1200UTC Friday, causing an upper level pressure trough to form eastern India, Bangladesh and eastern Nepal. Clouds and snow activity are likely near the mountain range, particularly on the north slope where northwest to north winds are forecast to blow up the slope of the mountains.

Another look at the latest long-range forecast charts shows the pressure trough remaining nearly stationary but slowly weakening, so that by Sunday at 1200UTC wind speeds at 30,000 feet are likely to have dropped to 20 to 30 knots from the west-northwest in Tibet. Northwest to north winds at Mount Everest may drop below 20 knots at that time. Precipitation is forecast to decrease and end on Sunday with the wind speed becoming or continuing favorable. These conditions should continue Monday, but Monday night and Tuesday are likely to see the jet stream drop back to the south. Clouds and snow can accompany a westerly jet when it streams across the Himalayan mountains.

The jet stream as well as the clouds and precipitation are indicated to continue for much of the remainder of next week as upper level pressure troughs continue to be close by.