24 Hour Snow: 0" 72 Hour Snow: 0" Season Total Snow: 21" Depth at Gold Basin: 12"
Winds on Pre-Laurel Peak: N/A Temp: 31° F
Weather
Temperatures are slowly dropping, and it is 31°F in Gold Basin this morning. Pre-Laurel Peak wind data is down, but nearby stations show moderate winds blowing from the southwest with strong gusts. Daytime highs will remain in the low 30s°F, and winds will continue to blow out of the southwest at 20 MPH with gusts up to 30 MPH. Cloud cover will increase this morning, and there is a 20% chance of snow this afternoon, with little to no accumulation expected. A short-wave trough drops in from the northwest tonight, bringing colder temperatures and moisture to our region. Snowfall begins overnight, and the main trough and weak cold front arrive on Saturday afternoon, bringing with it our best chance for snow. We could see snow totals in the 3-6 inch range. I'll have those numbers sorted out by tomorrow's update.
General Conditions
Conditions will be rough out there today. Yesterday, the mountains received rain on snow at least up to 10,000 feet and maybe higher. I'm headed up today to find out where that rain-snow line was during the storm. Our SNOTEL site at 10,050 feet picked up 0.5 inches of rain. I suspect that the high peaks got an inch or two of snow. As far as skiing and riding is concerned, you might want to wait until Sunday. It looks like we could get a refresh on Saturday with light accumulations. Many solar aspects are melted down to the rocks and are no longer skiable. High elevation northerlies have been stripped by the wind, but out of the wind zone, polar aspects are still holding 12-24 inches of snow. In my travels to the alpine on Wednesday, I found a mix of old, hard wind slabs and complete mashed potato-like snow on northerly aspects. The damp snow I experienced is a result of record warm temperatures and high, thin cloud cover as of late. The previously damp snow surface is probably crusted over today, thanks to temperatures finally dropping below the freezing mark. There are still no avalanche problems to talk about, but an incoming storm on Saturday will change the landscape, and we could see a rising avalanche hazard for the weekend.
This photo from Wednesday tells the story of below-average snowfall, strong winds, prolonged sunshine, and record warmth.
Snowpack and Weather Data
