Winds on Pre-Laurel Peak: SE 30-40 G 50 Temp 36° F Percent of Normal: 125%

Uncle gusty has arrived and a high wind warning is in effect. Today, look for increasing clouds, warm temperatures, and nuking southerly winds averaging 40-50 mph with gusts as high as 70 mph. By early afternoon, moisture will spill into the region ahead of the cold front which will cause temperatures to crater to near 10°F tonight. Chances for snow look meager and I think we'll be lucky to see a couple of inches. A chance for snow lingers into Saturday with clearing skies later in the day and continued blustery conditions. Sunday looks sunny and mostly calm.

Today we should see a drastic deterioration of conditions and heading up to the mountains, or even going outside may be a questionable choice. A poor overnight freeze will make for some punchy conditions on sun exposed slopes and areas of soft powder snow are dwindling. The other unfortunate aspect of these very windy conditions in springtime is airborne dust, and we may end up with a layer that could interfere with future corn conditions. Fingers crossed that this won't be too bad. I learned last week that it pays to be pessimistic - maybe we'll get a nice surprise with no dust, and a few inches of snow to freshen up conditions for Sunday.

Of note: Dave and I continue to find shallow areas with poor snowpack structure, or in other words, weak faceted snow under old wind slabs. More the exception than the rule, you can nevertheless find this structure in repeat running slide paths, along wind swept ridges, and along wind scoured slope margins near rocky outcrops. If you are getting into higher, more extreme terrain, it's worth poking around and looking for this weak structure, and maybe reconsidering your line if you find it.