24 Hour Snow 0" Weekly Snow 2" Base Depth in Gold Basin 48" Wind NW 15-20 mph G30 Temp 20F

Weather: NW winds began to increase yesterday afternoon peaking around midnight with average speeds in the 20 -25 mph range and gusts into the mid 30's. They'll continue to blow today at similar speeds with gusts possibly reaching up into the mid 40's. Skies will be mostly sunny and high temps will be in the lower 20's. Factor in the wind chill and it will feel a bit frigid up there today. Look for more of the same tomorrow with dry conditions and sunny skies for the foreseeable future.

Snowpack: The weekend storm brought a disappointing 2" of new snow to the mountains. It was, nevertheless nice to see a fresh coat of white on things and the new snow did make for a decent refresh, especially in sheltered areas where the underlying snow was soft and recrystallized. Speaking of recrystallized snow - the snowpack has been transforming into a pile of loose, sugary, facets over the past several weeks, and the underlying structure is at its weakest point of the season. The most recent snow hasn't added much of a load but fresh wind drifts will be sensitive wherever they exist on top of loose, weak, recrystallized snow. With an eye to the future, the snowpack is in very poor shape to withstand a significant load, so expect a dramatic change in avalanche conditions if and when a new snow load finally comes.

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