It's 2018 - Happy New Year! And here's hoping for a "new" weather pattern, too.
Under mostly clear skies, temperatures in the drainage bottoms and on the high peaks are in the teens, with readings in the mid to upper 20s at the mid elevations of the Provo area mountains. The westerly winds are very light in the Provo area mountains, less than 10 mph. To the north, the highest peaks are averaging 15 to 15 mph, gusting in the 30s.
Snow surface conditions are “variable” – a mix of sun and wind crusts, damp snow mid day, with soft, recrystallized powder on wind and sun sheltered slopes. Snow depths are still quite shallow – only about a foot deep on the shady, mid elevation slopes.
No recent avalanche activity has been reported in the Provo area mountains, and avalanche activity has also slowed to the north – there have been two days in a row with no backcountry avalanches reported. However, there were still large collapses continued yesterday on the less traveled slopes in the Salt Lake and Ogden area mountains. The avalanche list is here.
With over a dozen people caught, carried and some buried in northern Utah since Christmas, it’s worth reviewing the weather and avalanche activity in Greg’s “Week in Review”.