Eastside Region

Avalanches remain unlikely today. Monitor for isolated areas of unstable snow in steep or exposed terrain, and expect a variety of surfaces as you travel. 

Increasing winds and cloudy skies today won't do much to change the stability picture. Small amounts of new snow over the last 72 hours may allow for thin wind deposits and small sluffs of unstable snow in steep terrain at higher elevations. If you head into the mountains today, dwindling coverage and variable surfaces are likely to remain top of mind, but it will be prudent to remain on the lookout for signs of drifting near and above tree line as ridgetop winds increase throughout the day. 

After a month of high pressure here in the Eastern Sierra, we are finally looking at a change in the pattern. Over the coming week, we expect to see multiple storm systems impact the region that could bring substantial snowfall to the Eastern Sierra. The first round is expected to begin late tomorrow and may bring close to a foot of snow. A second, more substantial system is expected to affect the region over the weekend. Details will take some time to come into focus, but with any luck, we may have several feet of new snow by mid February. 

 It's a bit of a cliché at this point, but as the old saying goes, "today's surface is tomorrow's week layer". We certainly have a wide variety for this new snow to land on. Top of mind for the forecast team is the impressive surface faceting that has occurred on northerly aspects over the last month of dry and clear conditions. While this has allowed soft skiing and riding conditions to persist during our dry spell, it is far from an ideal base for new snow. Keep this in mind in the coming days as new snow begins to accumulate. Avalanches will once again be on the menu, and it will not be surprising to see touchy conditions before things settle down.