Most outdoor injuries can be prevented. Know the conditions and know your limits so you don’t end up in a hospital.

Weather: I don't have any reports from the backcountry to verify yesterday's snow totals but it looks like the mountains picked up about 4" of light snow. Moderate to strong NW winds began to taper off yesterday morning and were relatively light most of the day. Overnight they shifted to the SW blowing in the 10-20 mph range. Today, an upper-level trough on the Pacific Coast will weaken as it moves across the Great Basin and into our region today. We'll see mostly cloudy skies with snow showers likely by this afternoon. Accumulations should be light with 1"-2" possible. Southerly winds will be mostly light and high temps will be in the low 30's. Scattered showers should linger through tonight and into tomorrow with gradually clearing skies throughout the day. Dry and warming conditions extend through midweek.

Snowpack: The new snow will provide a nice refresh, especially on sheltered slopes where soft snow existed prior to the storm Sun exposed slopes are crusty underneath. Fresh wind drifts will be found on leeward slopes, primarily at upper elevations. Deeper in the snowpack, a layer of weak, sugary, faceted snow exists. In isolated areas, a triggered wind drift could step down to this buried weak layer causing a deeper and more dangerous avalanche.

Kevin Dressel photo.