24 Hour Snow: 1" 72 Hour Snow: 10" Season Total Snow: 21" Depth at Gold Basin: 17"
Winds on Pre-Laurel Peak: 5 NW Temp: 18° F
Weather
A weak short wave on a northerly flow will continue to bring light snow showers to our region. Skies will be mostly cloudy, and snowfall is expected to taper off by this afternoon. Any additional accumulation will be light, with 1-2 inches possible. Winds will be light out of the northeast, and temperatures will hover around 20°F. Skies will clear tonight. The rest of the week will be sunny and calm with highs in the mid-20s°F. Beginning Friday, the flow becomes northwesterly, and the mountains of northern Utah and Colorado will see accumulating snow. A weak ridge over the Four Corners looks to leave us high and dry, but light snowfall may become possible this weekend.
General Conditions
Travel was somewhat difficult while cruising around the Laurel Highway and Gold Basin yesterday. I found deep trail breaking off the beaten path that made for slow going. The average height of snow above 10,000' is 18-24". The snowpack is weak and faceted, allowing skis to punch deep when traveling downhill and attempting to make turns. Rocks and logs are a real hazard right now, and the punchy snow doesn't help. The good news is that soft powder exists on all aspects, so if you can find a grassy slope, you might be able to make some turns.
Old, pre-existing faceted snow was buried by 9 inches of storm snow on Sunday, laying an evenly distributed slab on top of a persistent weak layer. We observed numerous small avalanches on Monday, and test results continue to be sensitive. Avalanche danger is most prevalent on northerly aspects where the snowpack is deeper and more well-connected. The weak layer is especially sensitive, and above treeline slopes that have seen just a touch of wind-drifted snow are especially suspect.
Poor snowpack structure also exists on slopes that face west and southwest. Many slopes near or above treeline with a west or southwest aspect were subject to strong sun and/or strong winds and do not have much of a snowpack at all. The PWL problem does not exist on these slopes. However, if you find yourself on southwest or west-facing slopes, and the snowpack is deep, dig down and look for the weak layer; it is easy to find.
Click here to check out all recent obs, including my fieldwork from Tuesday.
Check out the video below from our fieldwork on Monday
