A Well-Deserved Overproducer

After months of below-average precipitation, extreme heat, coronavirus, earthquakes, and political stress, Mother Nature finally delivered an overproducer for Utah skiers. 

Observations from the Alta-Collins site were a little flaky yesterday, but total snow depth peaked at 23", which is a reasonable guess for new snow amount.  Water amounts, which include the period prior to the one presented below, were around 1.75".  

I suspect we did better than that as the Collins gauge typically exhibits undercatch and underreporting of precipitation.  The Snowbird SNOTEL is up about 2 inches since Saturday afternoon, for example.  Despite my forecast, people were out skiing, with one report to the Utah Avalanche Center as I write this early Monday morning.  

Most impressive to me was the productivity of the storm from early Sunday morning through Sunday afternoon.  There was a lot going on, so it is impossible to generalize they day meteorologically.  I will, however, cherry pick one period from yesterday morning during which things were lighting up nicely in the southwesterly flow over Mt. Timpanogos and Lone Peak.  During this period, the Salt Lake Valley was dry (that changed eventually).  

I remain encouraged by the forecast with some periods of snow possible this week and then the potential for a more significant storm next weekend.  

Keep your fingers crossed and your friends socially distanced.