Thank you ULLR and a much anticipated change in the weather pattern! In the past 24 hours, the La Sal and Abajo Mountains received significant snow fall amounts, and it looks light it might keep coming.
In the La Sal Mountains, our Gold Basin (10,000') study plot recorded 15" of snow in the past 24 hours, with the Geyser Pass Winter TH SNOTEL (9,600') verifying this amount with 1.7" of H20 registering and 13 " of new snow reported there. The winds have been playing into the equation, please read on. Current temperatures at the trailhead are 20"
In the Abajo Mountains, the Camp Jackson station reports 12" of snow with 1.3" of H20 registering in the past 24 hours with a current temperature of 22 degrees. The winds on Abajo Peak have been lighter than those of the La Sals. Transport winds stayed under the 14 mph threshold for the past 12 hours.
If you are interested in finding out the current weather, go to our La Sal and Abajo Mountain Weather Page to assist you with nowcasting.
The road to the Geyser Pass Winter TH will be very slick today, think about parking your snowmobile trailers down low or heading around to the east side of the range. The UAC-Moab is just not bringing theirs, especially with the congestion expected with the double whammy LUNA and Grand County Search and Rescue training this morning. 4WD and chains are recommended.
LUNA will be grooming today, the extent of which will be updated for tomorrow.
Transport winds at the Pre-Laurel Weather Station have been howling out of the SE-S-SW since before the storm arrive and continue to do so. Averages ranged from the low 30's to the mid-teens. All pointing to significant wind deposits on NW-N-NE slopes, the only real place where snow was residing before the storm. There has been a significant load applied to a weak, shallow snowpack. I would expect a natural cycle to have occurred and the potential of human triggered activity.
The only good news is that the storm started warm and has continued to get colder throughout the past 24 hours. The temperature continues to tick lower and lower on the thermometer. This is good for bonding yet not going to be enough to limit avalanche activity.
