SNOW PACK UPDATE BELOW!

Not too much going on this week. Our cold airmass is starting to warm although we still have some mighty chilly temps around. Those should moderate, especially at elevation through the end of the week. We are through the worst of the bitterly cold air. 

We will be mostly sunny, until a very weak system brushes Utah late Friday into early Saturday. I don't expect much more than some clouds and breezes and maybe a light snow showers in the northern mountains -- but it's really a nothing of a storm. We will have a better chance for a storm late Sunday into Monday of next week. Models still very much differing on the strength and exact setup of this storm, but we should have chances for accumulating snowfall in most Utah mountains. Monday looking like the best chance for fresh snow at this point. More info on this tomorrow...

Not overly stormy in the long-range. We will see ridging re-develop middle of next week. Models still dig a trough over the SW from roughly February 10-15, but it's hard to know what that means for us. Likely we will see at least a few systems but they may be somewhat weak. Overall, it's a much quieter pattern than we saw in most of December and January.

Snowpack:

Here we go! Depending on location, the midway point in the Utah snow season is somewhere between January 15th and February 1. In the snowiest, high elevation locations like the Cottonwood Canyons, it's right about January 31st, which means we've just past what is typically (climatologically) our midway point in the season. Half the snow falls before that point, and half after. Yet, the statewide average is at an impressive 98% of the peak median snowpack for the ENTIRE season:

That means we are almost to what we'd expect to see at the peak of our state's snowpack. This typically occurs in late March or early April. We are WAY ahead of schedule and as long as it doesn't go completely dry, we should easily see an above-average season statewide. Yay! Hopefully we keep climbing and have a way-above-average season to help ease drought issues. 

You can see that this snow is very evenly dispersed across the state's basins, with all of them well above the median to date:

Looking at individual sites from north to south, we start at Tony Grove Lake near the Idaho border and Beaver Mountain:

At 142% of median and 81% of the seasonal peak, it's probably doing the "worst" of the major snowpack sites I like to use. Still, way above normal and highly likely to exceed average peak. Also, this site is already above last year's totals (green line). Can't complain! 

A bit farther south, Ben Lomond Peak northwest of Ogden Valley is also having a stellar year:

This site can also have one of the deepest snowpacks in the state and this year is no exception with almost 42" of SWE so far which is good enough for 186% of median and already at 123% of seasonal peak with more than double last year's snowfall. That means we are already guaranteed an above average season in that area! Righteous! 

Moving into the central Wasatch, Thaynes Canyon in Park City area is also already above last year's peak snowpack:

At 97% of seasonal peak, it will likely only take one more good storm to ensure an above-average season at Park City. 

The Cottonwoods are also doing well:

Snowbird is at 178% of median, 84% of seasonal peak and already beat last year's peak snowpack. Alta has recorded 472" of snow at the Alta-Collins study plot. If you look at their website, you can see that November, December, and January of this season were better than any of the the previous years in the past decade:

Alta's seasonal total of 472" has already exceeded the entire season totals for 7 of the past 11 years! And yes, like I said, we just past the halfway point of the season statistically, so an "average" second half of the season should yield another 200" or more. 

Utah County mountains got particularly walloped during the month of January -- Sundance having to close for several days due to avalanche risk and power outages. Nearby Timpanogos Divide reflects this huge month well:

And impressive 211% of median for the date and 142% of the median peak. Nearly double last year's snowpack already. 

The western Uintas are also doing well with snowpacks nearly exceeding last year already:

Trial Lake, nearish to PC Powder Cats, showing 167% of median to date and 90% of seasonal peak. Should be an above-average year. 

Down in southern Utah, Eagle Point area is having one of their best seasons ever. Nearby Big Flat site just behind the resort is at double median to date and 113% of median peak. So already guaranteed an above-average year, even beating last year which was also above average. 

Finally, Brian Head station only has 11 years of data which is not enough to establish a median, but it's doing well and already beating last year's total:

Overall, we are very close to having seen a year's worth of snow already with a good three months of snow left in the season. Everything we get from here on out is "bonus snow" that will go a long way to easing drought concerns, at least temporarily. In my opinion, the more the better. Then we can just hope for a gradual warm up in the late spring so we don't see too many flooding issues. 

Evan | OpenSnow

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