Under mostly clear skies, the mountain temperatures are cold and range from 5-8 °F. Winds continue to blow from the northwest but have slowed dramatically, and only a few anemometers report 5-10 mph wind speeds. At 11,000', the winds are a little stronger and blow from the northwest at 15-20 mph. In the past 24 hours, we've received a relatively even coat of fresh white paint. Storm totals range from 3-6 inches of new snow (0.35-0.63 water).
Today, we will have clearing skies as the storm exits and high-pressure returns. Winds should be on their best behavior and only blow 5-15 mph from the north. It will be a cold day as temperatures will only climb into the upper teens °F by this afternoon.
The recent storm has improved the riding and turning conditions dramatically, especially on aspects that still had dry cold snow underneath. On sunny slopes, there is a hard, slick, frozen crust in many spots where backcountry riders reported needing ski crampons in steep exposed terrain.
Yesterday, the avalanche activity was confined to the new snow, where backcountry observers reported dry-loose avalanches being easy to initiate in the steeper terrain. Some people reported these dry-loose avalanches entraining a fair bit of snow as they traveled downhill fast and far.
Photo: Greg Gagne showing the dry-loose avalanche problem yesterday.