When Stuff Comes From the East

Interesting radar loop this morning.  Note how the echoes are coming from the east across the central Wasatch.

The upper-level low has closed off sufficiently that the flow has an easterly component.  Nobody is happier than than those in the Park City area who are getting some of the white stuff this morning.

Source: UDOT

The overnight phase of the storm didn't exactly play fair.  Precipitation spread just far enough north for the southern and central Wasatch to do well, but the northern Wasatch largely got skunked.  An example radar image is below.  

Source: NCAR/Ral

Alta-Collins had an 8" storm total on the stake as of 8 am, from only .54" of water.  Upper portions of PCMR may have done a bit better.  The Thaynes Canyon SNOTEL has 0.6" of water through 8 am and an increase in total snow depth of 7" (typically that underestimates the new snow depth due to compaction of the underlying snow).  

A few hours of easterlies can do wonders for the Park City side.  As discussed in my book, under easterly flow there is a temporary shift in the windward side of the Wasatch from the Wasatch Front to the Wasatch Back.  

Source: Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth

Easterlies didn't prevail all last night, but they seem to have helped the last couple of hours.