Be mindful of avalanche workers and SAR personnel - IF YOU TRIGGER an avalanche near a ski area, please report it to the ski patrol dispatch or Alta Central (801-742-2033). Rescue personnel don’t want to be subjected to dangerous conditions if the scene is clear. More on this in Backcountry Emergency Protocols
This is a good old fashioned cold front!
As of 6AM, storm totals are about 6" (0.40" snow-water-equivalent) in the upper Cottonwoods and along the Park City Ridgeline. The Ogden mountains have picked up 6-8"; the Provo mountains 2-4" (though possibly up to 8" along the Cascade Ridgeline.)
I expect to see snow continue for most of the day, with occasional periods of higher intensity, along with the "dreaded lake effect". We'll see. Storm totals by tomorrow morning could be 8-12" of cold smoke. Maybe more. I hate to say it, but Get it while you can, because we go high and dry after this. Temper that, though, because you'll see a fair bit of snow moving in steep terrain today. More below.
Currently, temps are in the upper teens enroute the low single digits. Winds are gusty with frontal passage, with some gusts up high clocking 40-50mph. But most instrumentation is showing winds from the west-northwest blowing 15-20mph. I don't think winds are going to be much of a factor; they'll blow 10-15mph from the northwest.* (The highest ridgelines will probably see 20mph winds..). Temps bottom out tonight in the low single digits with light snowfall possible. Sunny skies are expected this weekend.
Photo above from Dave Kelly yesterday. There'll be a lot more of these today
Early reports are that the new storm snow is running naturally in the steepest terrain this morning....
Significant avalanches from yesterday include explosive control work (Wyssen exploders) in upper LCC that triggered a large hard slab into old weak faceted snow on a steep northeast facing slope at 10,600'. This avalanche then sympathetically triggered another, similar, avalanche adjacent to it that also failed in the old faceted snow. These were described as Size 2.5-3, which means big enough to bury and destroy a car, a wood frame house, or break a few trees.
Otherwise we only heard about some longer running loose dry sluffs and pockets of lingering wind slab.
Read all backcountry observations here.
