The latest blog-casts are out -
Skies are mostly cloudy becoming overcast ahead of the first of two loosely organized storm systems to affect the state through Sunday. Mountain temperatures are in the low 30s; the southeasterlies continue to blow 25-30mph up high with gusts to 45 but should lose steam as the storm moves overhead. The Arrowhead and Bunnels anemometers are likely sheltered from the free air winds from the southeast.
The idea that the Inuit have many words for snow is generally attributed to the linguist and anthropologist Franz Boas based upon his research on Baffin Island before, and just after, the turn of the century. Examples included aput, expressing snow on the ground; another one, qana, falling snow; a third one, piqsirpoq, drifting snow; and a fourth one, qimuqsuq, referring to a snowdrift proper.* Current snow conditions in english are otherwise unprintable in this polite company. But conditions should improve with a few inches here and there that may add up to a foot through Sunday.
No reports of avalanche activity yesterday. In the central Wasatch yesterday - while descending
Stairs Gulch of BCC, a skier unintentionally triggered a shallow 50' wide wind slab that broke above him, catching and carrying him over a 15' cliffband. He sustained minor injuries but was able to self-extricate. Provo has similar terrain as Stairs Gulch - some of the more radical terrain around.