Nowcast - Wind, rain, and even thunder-snow.... yeah, that was quite the electric winter storm that slid over the region yesterday delivering 4" of snow with about .85" of H20. In other words, just what we needed... a thick, dense coat of white paint. In the wake of yesterday's turbulence, a band of high clouds slides through the region at o'dark thirty while temperatures flirt with the single digits F along the ridges and low teens F at our trailheads. Along the high peaks, winds blowing 30-50 mph from the west and northwest add a finger numbing bite to the air with windchill values registering near -17 degrees F. Riding and turning conditions are slowly improving.
Forecast - A break in the action this morning offers partly to mostly cloudy skies with cooler temperatures climbing into the upper 20's. Winds decrease somewhat this morning, blow in the 20's and 30's from the west and northwest, but then switch to the southwest later today and bump into the 50's, allowing a weak impulse to graze the northern half of the state.
Futurecast - Another warm, wet, windy system is slated to arrive Friday and linger through the weekend.
Travel Conditions -
Yesterday's storm was a welcome gift, helping to improve spirits and add a little cushion to our travels. However, many slopes throughout the range are white from far, but far from white. The snow surface and overall coverage is a variable, mixed bag of both strong and weak snow.
Andy visited the South Slope Tuesday and reports a tale of two snowpacks. Old snow near the ground on slopes facing the north half of the compass, while many sunny slopes are still waiting for the invite to the company-wide Holiday Party.
No new avalanche activity to report, but you can find lots of travel reports and observations from across the range and beyond below.
