The Powder Fever is Spreading, Go Catch it!

 TL;DR:

    The storm has delivered with potential for another 15-20"! Cold temps today increasing and gusty winds. Blizzard conditions all day and through tonight. Have fun you powder puppies!

10-13" Today

5-8" Overnight

Storm Report (since the beginning of storm):

Alta: 18”

Snowbird: 23”

Solitude: 15”

Brighton: 11”

Snowbasin: 10”

Powder Mtn: 13”

Nowcast:

    Mother nature has answered our hopes, the powder whale has jumped yet again and splashed our mountains with a healthy helping of snow. Through yesterday and overnight, the storm has favored LCC, bringing the most significant snow totals to the bird and Alta. Temperatures are cold this morning in the upper teens around mountain bases and dipping to just 10 degrees by ridgetops. The wind is gusting at 30 mph W, NW. Blizzard conditions will persist throughout the day today.  

The storm is in full effect up at Alta

Short term:

    The first of three waves of this storm passed and brought us to the second and most influential wave of the storm. Throughout today and primarily this afternoon and evening, an injection of moisture will keep fueling the storm. Despite this though, the dry snow that you will have a blast skiing today is going to transition throughout the day from that fine Utah gold 20:1 (snow:water) to heavier more dense 10:1. This transition is going to be caused by temps rising steadily today out of the teens to the low twenties around mountain bases.

 

Looking at the four panels below all the features mentioned above are depicted. In the top left you can see the first trough of the storm that was over Utah Friday into today. The second trough will be moving through today and through the night. In the lower right, you can see the injection of significant water from the atmospheric river impacting the NW US. In addition, in the bottom left you can see the warmer air that will be advected towards Utah through the day causing the snow to come in with lower snow-to-water ratios.

 

Courtesy U of U Atmospheric Sciences

Through today we can expect an additional 10-13” of snow with another 5-8” falling overnight.    

 

Long term:

    While it is difficult to look beyond all the exciting weather happening now we must. As temperatures rise toward the latter half of the storm a ridge will build over Utah for what only seems to be the middle of the week. Temps will rise and the atmosphere will briefly dry out.  Come next weekend, the potential for another storm is showing on the models but we will have to wait and see how they progress.

 

Backcountry comments: 

    If you will be traveling in the backcountry, make sure you have the proper equipment and know before you go. This storm is coming in upside down on top of some early-season layers that have to potential to produce avalanches. For the whole avalanche forecast and all things avalanche head over to our friends at the Utah Avalanche Center.