24 Hour Snow: 2" 72 Hour Snow: 2" Season Total Snow: 123" Depth at Gold Basin: 44"

Winter returns with 2 inches of new snow and sub 20° temperatures. High clouds this morning will gradually turn to mostly cloudy skies later today as the next shortwave trough moves over the region. There's a very slight chance for snow showers this afternoon although the system is quite weak and headed mostly north. Moderate ridge top winds will blow from the southwest and high temperatures will be in the mid to upper 30's. Monday will be mostly cloudy and breezy with increasing southwest winds ahead of a stronger system moving in from the Pacific Northwest. Although favoring points north, we should pick up a few inches of snow on Tuesday. Unsettled weather remains through the week.

With a couple inches of new snow and a well frozen surface beneath, look for bone chattering dust on crust conditions this morning. Your best bet for good turning and riding will be to find terrain that is smooth underneath and low angle. Warm temperatures last week have affected the snowpack in a variety of ways. Many south through westerly aspects are bare and the mountains from town look more like May. Existing snowcover, especially at lower elevations, has begun the transition toward a spring time snowpack while layers of cold, dry, faceted snow still exist on mid to upper elevation northerly aspects. In these areas, the threat remains for triggering a deep and dangerous avalanche. In fact, two snowboarders triggered a large and potentially life threatening avalanche in the Abajo Mountains yesterday. The avalanche failed on a persistent weak layer on a NE aspect at 11,100'. This remains the bullseye area of concern in the La Sals, and although increasingly unlikely, any avalanche triggered would be very high consequence.