We've had no reports from the upper elevations of the Provo area mountains but extrapolate that mid and upper elevation snow structure is poor and potentially unstable on steep northwest to easterly facing slopes. The Thanksgiving storms are now a thick slab overlying weak old snow from October and this structure continue to cause avalanches in the Salt lake mountains. Extra caution is warranted in steep shady terrain. Extra snow and wind today will add additional stress to this tenuous snowpack.

While it appears that wind, sun, and warmth has jettisoned, if not degraded, the previous weak snow surfaces, this morning's graupel may instead act as a weak layer that sits on a variety of hard sun and wind crusts. Today, target your inquiry to see how sensitive the storm snow is as it slowly adds up in the mountains. Test slopes and quick hand pits often provide some clue to the situation. Shooting cracks also provide evidence. If we see the higher end of snow totals, it should be possible to trigger new storm snow avalanches on a variety of aspects.