[pct-l] Is this weather typical? - Sierra City to Belden

[Stephen Adams]

I found a Golite rain/wind shell on sale a couple years back.  It is made out of IIRC "Gorelite" fabric and is a single layer for lightweight (no liner).  It is the most comfortable damp/cold weather shell I have ever had for lightweight gear.  It actually seems to breathe quite well and I don't get as clammy as I do with other shell layers.  On sale it was still about $80, but way better material than I thought I would get.     
A couple comments on rain gear, my experience...
Over time materials, sealers, coatings etc, will breakdown.  Breathable vs non... I've used both.  My cycling wind'rain shell in non, and I end up soaked with sweat, but keeping the wind off helped...  Same with hiking, but I would at least want to have a good wind shell at the end of the day or if things get really chilly.  
There is no such thing as water proof, but there is comfortable vs not so much...  And then there's the good ol' poncho.  

I don't like hiking in rain much myself, so I feel for ya getting nailed.  On the other hand, you didn't get stuck in a blizzard.  
Cali had a period of fast moving weather full of squals and thunder storms roll thru this last week.  It seemed to be reported reasonably accurate on the national weather service as far as I could tell.  Where did you get your weather reports from?  
Some places are certainly unreliable.