Sunshine today, Friday Dust, Sunday POW

  

 TL;DR:  Sunshine today, Friday Dust, Sunday POW

Nowcast:

Right now: Snowing. Surprised? 

Sprinter keener getting an early start at Solitude - top image from the parking lot and lower image from the top of powderhorn looking down to the village area. Courtesy https://www.solitudemountain.com/mountain-and-village/webcams

Temps are mid 20s as you start up the canyons and mid 10s as you get to the parking lot and trail heads. City winds are basically calm while ridges are blowing from the west-northwest 10mph gusting to 15. 

Temps (F) and wind barbs for the I80 to LCC Canyons courtesy https://mesowest.utah.edu/cgi-bin/droman/mesomap.cgi?state=UT&rawsflag=3

Short term: 

Light snow will taper off during the day and the sun could peak out for some afternoon rays. Winds likely to persist from the NW as a cold front makes its way into Utah this evening. 

Clearing skies from SE Idaho coming into northern Utah this morning. Low pressure system centered over southern Arizona spiraling counter-clockwise and continuing south-south east. Courtesy https://weather.cod.edu/satrad/?parms=regional-southwest-11-24-1-100-1&checked=map&colorbar=undefined

A large trough setup diagonally from Washington to Montana is coming at us and will bring the goods late this weekend. 

Enhanced IR showing a blob of green NW of Utah that's going to bring the next big POW drop. Courtesy https://weather.cod.edu/satrad/?parms=continental-conus-14-24-1-100-1&checked=map&colorbar=undefined

A couple of inches in the models for Friday with the main event kicking off late Saturday into Sunday, with 10-20" possible for the mountains. 

Forecasts plumes for Alta-Collins from North America Ensemble predictions courtesy https://weather.utah.edu/index.php?runcode=2023030200&t=naefs&d=PL&r=CLN

Long term:

Late next week is TBD, signs of a Friday storm are in the cards and stay tuned if that plays out. 

Backcountry comments: 

Winds have been more aggressive lately and there's some reactivity in the upper snowpack. 

If you will be traveling in the backcountry make sure you have the proper equipment and know before you go. For the whole avalanche forecast and all things avalanche head over to our friends at the Utah Avalanche Center here: Utah Avalanche Center