A major winter storm hit Southern California on Thursday through Sunday, February 23-26, 2023, blanketing the mountains in snow and closing off the mountain roads. During this time, Mount Wilson Observatory received 40 inches of snow in undisturbed places.
Another storm moved through on Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb 28 - Mar 1, 2023, bringing an additional 10-12 inches of snow, for a total accumulation of 4 feet of snow on the ground.
CHARA and Mount Wilson staff are working through challenging conditions to clear the observatory roads, dig out buildings, and keep the facilities safe. The start of the observing season will be delayed as we wait for the roads to the mountain to be cleared and continue work digging out the array.
Below are photos of the storm taken by Matt Anderson on Feb 24-26, 2023:
Additional photos taken by CHARA staff and visiting scientists on Feb 26 - Mar 6, 2023:
