Pow Today, More On The Way

TL;DR:  

               Cold temperatures will persist along with strong Westerly winds. Another small precipitation event will happen Saturday night and another potentially more significant storm is materializing for the beginning of next week.

Nowcast:

               If you’re headed up to go skiing be sure to wear your layers and think warm thoughts, following a nice refresher last night bringing 13” to the Wasatch temperatures are low around 10 °F at mountain bases and below zero at mountain tops. In addition to the cold temperatures, the wind is blowing from the west, and northwest with gusts reaching 60 mph along the ridgelines. Cold temperatures and overcast skies will continue through today.

This morning's view in lcc. Alta

Short term:

               Throughout this weekend cold temperatures will remain, yet they will climb slightly to the low 20’s by Sunday night. There is a closed-off low moving inland from the NW and as a result, is forcing south-westerly flow bringing some moisture to the area. While we won’t see significant snowfall as a result, some may fall Saturday night bringing an additional 1-2” of snow. The winds will remain S-SW around 20 mph all weekend so keep an eye out for snow being transported.

Here you can see the closed low off the West coast and the short ridge that we find ourselves under this weekend. Despite being under a ridge the transport of some moisture along with some vorticity advection will bring us a small precipitation event Saturday night. U of U Atmospheric Science

Long term:

Looking forward to next week the progressive pattern we find ourselves in will continue. Despite there being a closed-off low coming our way, it may break down slightly as it maintains its position over the west coast. That being said, another precipitation event is headed our way. Similarly to some of the previous Low-pressure systems we’ve seen this season the positioning of this storm may play a big role in how much it can produce. If the low digs deeper down the west coast the transport of moisture may favor the southern portion of the state, if it can remain more northerly, we will receive much more moisture.

The closed low will remain over the West coast and break down slightly yet will still bring a precipitation event at the beginning of the coming week. Tropical Tidbits

If you plan to travel in the backcountry ensure you have all the proper equipment and know before you go! Avalanche conditions exist and avalanches are likely. For all things avalanche and the whole avalanche forecast head to our friends over at the Utah Avalanche Center. 

UAC