24 Hour Snow 0" 72 Hour Snow 0" Base Depth in Gold Basin 22" Wind SW 5-15 Temp 24F

Mostly sunny skies and light southerly winds continue today while an active weather pattern develops off the west coast. Though the approaching system has the potential for big snow amounts in northern Utah, it doesn't look nearly as impressive for our region. We'll see increasing clouds on Thursday with possibly a few afternoon snow showers as a Pacific low-pressure trough drops south along the coast and moves inland. Our best chance for snow from this event comes Thursday night into Friday. 6" of snow seems a fair bet at this time. The pattern remains active however, and we'll see another chance for snow over Christmas with unsettled weather continuing into early next week.

Overall snow cover remains quite thin but the 20" of dense snow we received way back on December 10, has built a nice, supportable cushion that belies how shallow the snowpack really is. This dense snow has also built a slab on top of weak, sugary, facets that formed in the mid-October snow. This weak layer has grown less reactive over time, and outward signs of instability such as cracking and whumphing have been steadily decreasing. Nevertheless, a poor snowpack structure still exists, and in my mind is still very suspect. It's early season, the snowpack is still very shallow, and a ride in an avalanche would be devastating. Consider this, and choose terrain wisely.

Wind Station on Pre Laurel Peak (11,700')

NWS Weather Forecast