Skyline
Avalanche danger
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
Highlights
The new snow that is falling today won't create very dangerous avalanche conditions. By far, the most dangerous thing is getting injured from hitting rocks, stumps and logs under the very shallow snowpack.
With a number of storms being advertised this coming week and some pre-existing old weak snow already on the ground, avalanche conditions could change. STAY TUNED!
Special Announcement
Avalanche Awareness Week runs through this weekend. This week was designated by the Utah State Legislature to promote the fact that we can have dangerous avalanche conditions in our mountains. YOU ARE NOW AWARE!! GOOD JOB!! It is definitely time to start thinking about avalanche safety as our winter gets going.
Snow and Weather
Current Conditions: About 4 inches of snow fell in the mountains this morning. Temperatures are in the mid teens and wind is moderate in speed from the southwest.
There is still not enough snow in the mountains for any real winter recreation yet. The snow that fell in early November has melted off many slopes. High elevation more northerly facing terrain was holding 6 to 10 inches of snow. During the last few weeks of high pressure and no new snow, the old snow has deteriorated to a "faceted" snow grain. Sugar snow. This could be a problematic weak layer as we start stacking more new snow on top of it. If it becomes an issue, it will be mostly relegated to the upper elevation more northerly slopes.
Mountain Weather:
Snowfall should continue this morning and taper off later this afternoon. 2 to 4 inches more snow is possible. Temperatures will continue to drop during the day and bottom out in the single digits overnight. It looks like it's going to be kind of windy today. Wind will shift more northerly as the storm moves through. It will increase in speed this afternoon.
Looking ahead, we have a number of storms and cold weather coming. The next small storm will be Monday bringing a few more inches of snow. Another storm is shaping up for late next week and the weather pattern looks active through Christmas.