Inversion Tidbits and Long-Range Prospects

Yesterday's satellite imagery summarized the ridge-dominated weather of western North America quite well with extensive fog found in the major basins, many of the valleys of British Columbia and the Northwest United States, and the Great Salt Lake Basin.  At the same time, smoke from the California Fires covered much of the offshore eastern Pacific Ocean.  If you look carefully, it appears that some of this smoke has been carried northward to the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Composite MODIS image from NASA.

Within the Salt Lake Valley, the pollution went into overdrive yesterday, with PM2.5 levels skyrocketing in the morning to unhealthy levels.  Unlike previous nights, when PM2.5 dropped considerably, levels declined only modestly overnight and remain unhealthy for sensitive groups. 

PM2.5 concentrations at Hawthorne Elementary.  Source: DAQ

Looking for a brightside?  The frosty trees make for a beautiful Christmassy scene.  

We are so desperate for weather that I feel the need to mention that there is actually a weak short-wave trough dropping down the back (eastern) side of the ridge and passing through our area Wednesday night.  

Yup, that's your weather for the week.  It will bring somewhat cooler temperatures to the mountains, perhaps helping with the snowmaking efforts and might stir the upper part of the inversion a bit.  Emphasis on might.  Low elevations will likely remained mired in pollution. 

I am a bit more optimistic that the trough on Saturday is strong enough to give us at least a partial mix out.  It's still soon to say if it will scour it all out.  Sometimes, the coldest, most polluted air at the lowest elevations can be quite stingy. 

Snowfall totals for the mountains presently look paltry.  About half the members in our downscaled NAEFS ensemble generate 2 inches or less.  A few members go for more.  A game changer is unlikely. 

The word "pattern change" is being thrown around a lot, but I bet you'll have a hard time finding anyone who can tell you what that means.  I have yet to see any indication from any ensembles that we are going to shift from the high-amplitude pattern that has dominated for weeks and in which there are very deep ridges and troughs at upper levels, to a more progressive pattern with stronger westerly flow.  Instead, there may be some shifts in the position of the ridges and troughs.  For example, some of the GEFS 10-day forecast members below have a ridge upstream of the west coast of North America, rather than near its present location along the west coast or just inland. 

Source: Penn State E-wall

Those shifts could be important if they lead to a slowly evolving but wet pattern for Utah.  However, looking at the GEFS solutions above, some might bring us some snow, others keep us dry.  Why waste time talking about this range of possibilities?  Like thermonuclear war, the best option is not to play.  

Thus, hope we get something from the trough on Saturday and at minimum hope it cracks the inversion.  It's the only slim hope we have for mountain snow over the next week.  After that, your guess is as good as mine.