For the week ending 27 Dec 2025:  We received some rain every day this week, and significant amounts between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. But the weather has shifted in the past 24 hours, with an Arctic cold front bringing much lower (but historically seasonal) temperatures and clearing skies. This caused rain to turn to snow for us, our first dusting in more than a week.  Recent atmospheric rivers delivered heavier than usual precipitation to us. In consequence, we'll close out a very dry year with the calendar year precipitation SWE slightly higher than at year-end 2023, but significantly less than in 2024 (which was, itself, well below historic average precipitation SWE).  The mild temperatures of early Winter 2025-26 have meant that we have no snowpack at our elevation for the second consecutive year when these precipitation amounts would have normally set us up nicely for promising year-end snowpack development. Road conditions deteriorated rapidly after Christmas as highways and roads began to ice up, particularly on curves and along riparian highway routes. Black ice patches have been reported as well. This week, I didn't see as many elk and deer as I have earlier in the month, but their scat is visible on my walks, so they are still active.  And the flickers, crows, and geese are still volubly present at our place. Animal care has become a little more challenging with the cold conditions today, but it is great to have real Winter finally arrive. Ski resorts in the area are open with a base of over 200 cm and excellent skiing conditions.  PHOTOS: Taken at 0800 PST today. The first image is captured near my  CoCoRaHS CAN-BC-100 gauge set-up, facing 120º SE. The second image faces 30º NE, along the west fenceline of our East Gardens. The third image faces West 280º along our laneway. The fourth image faces 280º SW toward our solar panel installation.