24 Hour Snow 0" Weekly Snow 0" Base Depth in Gold Basin 48" Wind S 15-20 mph Temp 22F

Weather: Satellite imagery shows mid/high-level clouds streaming in from the southwest this morning as moisture increases ahead of a closed low-pressure system currently off the California coast. Skies should remain mostly sunny today, with light to moderate SW winds and high temps in the mid 30's. Look for increasing clouds tomorrow as the storm moves into our area sometime in the afternoon. The main event should occur on Saturday night. Arriving on a SW flow this system has the potential to be good for us. We haven't seen this pattern since around Christmas. Ensemble forecasts and the European model (WRF) are showing upwards of a foot of snow, while the North American Model (NAM) is less optimistic at about 6". Either way, we should get a decent shot of snow before conditions again dry out for the upcoming week.

Snowpack: If, for some reason, you've been following the forecast and or getting out in the mountains lately, you're no doubt aware of the deteriorating state of our snowpack. Winds have strafed and scoured the snow right down to the rocks on exposed slopes in upper elevations, and most snow surfaces are a mixture of crusts, Sastrugi, and hard wind-board. The extended period of dry weather, and cold, clear nights has resulted in fairly extensive faceting of the snowpack, particularly on shady aspects right around treeline and below. Though this soft, re-crystallized snow offers some of the best riding right now, it is extremely weak. On Thursday, Dave Garcia and Reed Kennard were able to trigger small, loose avalanches comprised entirely of weak, sugary, faceted snow. Read their observation here. These small slides are not particularly dangerous, but they are indicative of how weak the snowpack has become, and this is certainly cause for concern under a future snow load.

Wind, temperature, humidity on Pre Laurel Peak (11,700')