This morning: Skies are partly cloudy and temperatures are in the upper teens F. Winds are from the south/southwest. Between about 9,500' and 10,500', wind speeds are averaging in the teens with gusts into the upper 20's mph. Above 10,500', winds are averaging in the 20's with gusts in the 30's and 40's mph.
Today: Temperatures will rise into the mid and upper 30's F, although it will feel cooler in wind-exposed locations where the south/southwest winds will average in the teens with gusts in the upper 20's mph at mid elevations and average in the 20's with gusts in the 30's and 40's mph at the upper elevations. Skies will become partly to mostly-cloudy.
This Week: Apparently, the mountains didn't get the calendar alert that Monday is the first day of Spring. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning beginning at 9 pm tonight and lasting through Tuesday morning with snowfall totals exceeding 2 feet by Tuesday likely. A brief break followed by a second storm later this week.
The southerly winds increased on Saturday morning and lasted through late afternoon, creating small pockets of sensitive wind drifts in exposed, upper elevation terrain. There were reports of small, skier-triggered slides in these fresh wind drifts, including
two riders caught and carried on a west aspect at 10,200' on Red Baldy where one rider was carried 50' and a second rider carried 150' in a slide that was only 3" deep and 80' wide (photo below). There was also one natural avalanche 18" deep observed in upper Little Cottonwood as the slope was being actively wind-loaded, and a
natural cornice fall in Cardiff Fork.
