The avalanche danger is MODERATE across the upper elevation terrain for wind-drifted snow avalanches. Be on the lookout for pockets of reactive wind-drifted snow, especially in steep, consequential terrain where even a small avalanche can have a disastrous outcome. Out of the wind zone, the avalanche danger is LOW, and "Normal Caution" is advised.
Some new snow overnight (2-4 inches) and plenty of wind across the upper elevations have me thinking about a fresh batch of shallow wind drifts. These wind drifts will be shallow and generally less than a foot deep but could be sensitive to the weight of a rider today. Use small test slopes to see how the new snow behaves before committing to a more aggressive terrain objective.
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It's snowing, and most weather stations are showing 2-4 inches of new snow containing roughly 0.07-0.15 inches of water overnight. This morning mountain temperatures will feel a bit more winterly as they hover just above the single digits Fahrenheit. Winds are blowing west-northwest at 10-20 mph across many upper-elevation ridgelines. At 11,000 feet, the winds are west-northwest at 35-40 mph.
This morning let's hope we can squeeze a couple more inches of new snow from this small storm before it exits the stadium. By mid-morning, the snowfall will turn to snow showers before clearing in the afternoon with partly cloudy skies. Temperatures will rise into the mid and upper 20s °F today. Winds will remain from the west-northwest and blow at speeds of 10-20 mph with gusts to 30mph.
On Tuesday, a beast of a trough pushes into Northern Utah that will last into Thursday for the Wasatch Range. Snow totals could be impressive, with 24-36 inches of new snow containing 2-3 inches of water weight. If you're in Southern Utah, you better hold onto your hats as wind speeds are forecast to hit 60-70 mph Tuesday into Wednesday.
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This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
