Mostly sunny, mostly windy

Tl;Dr: Winds will continue blowing from the east around 20 mph throughout the day today before slowly decreasing to single digit mph and from the west tomorrow. 

Nowcast:

There was much talk yesterday about the unorthodox easterly winds the Wasatch was set to encounter. As Nikki Champion from the UAC said in her backcountry forecast; "unusual weather patterns come unusual loading patterns." 

Here is what the anemometers atop Mt. Baldy show over the past 24 hours: 

24 hour data collected from MesoWest: Mt. Baldy (AMB) station

It looks as if winds didn't really start to pick up until midnight or so, blowing steady around 30 mph, gusting into the mid-to-high 40's, and continued to come from the SSE. 

As for today, expect the winds to stay right around 20 mph, with no change in direction. Temperatures at the height of the Cottonwoods will range from 25-30 degrees F, with clouds departing by the start of the afternoon. 

Short-Term:

Winds will continue from the east all the way through lunch time tomorrow Saturday March 16, before a slight transition to N, and then back to east. Aside from the continued a-typical direction of these winds, they do look to come to a halt by Sunday. 

Here's what we can expect tomorrow afternoon (see bottom left for wind direction and speeds): 

And then again on Sunday morning: 

As the GFS shows, we can expect winds to slow down, mostly clear skies, and unfortunately, not a ton of snow. Don't be surprised if temperatures hit 40 degrees F tomorrow in the late morning / early afternoon! 

Long-Term:

Long term models suggest a return to winter by the end of next week, but it's too far out for me to really comment. Check back in with your friends at Utah Ski Weather as next week progresses! 

Backcountry Comments: 

Backcountry travels remains complex, with the easterly winds causing slabs in places we might not typically expect. This, combined with the heavy snowfall we received on Tuesday and Wednesday, call for careful route finding and strong decision making. 

For those starting to plan their spring missions to other nearby ranges, check out the forecast for Moab/Abajos, where the Abajos are projected to receive 18-24" by Saturday morning! (Forecaster Dave Garcia also goes on to say this storm is unpredictable and is anyone's guess though...) 

If you plan to travel in the backcountry, head over to the Utah Avalanche Center for all things avalanche safety, planning, and guidance.