Current Conditions
Temperatures on Monday got pretty warm with many mid elevation stations into the 40s. Overnight temperatures were in the low to mid 20s. Northwest wind has increased along the higher peaks. It doesn't look like it's getting down into the canyons.
Mountain Weather
We are on the down slope of a high pressure ridge that's been parked off the west coast. This will continue to bring sunny days and a northwest wind direction. Today looks like another pretty warm one with mountain temperatures into the mid 30s and low 40s. Wind will feel a bit breezy along the higher ridges but shouldn't get down into the canyons much. We'll see similar conditions for the next week. This morning the GFS weather model is still showing a storm for around the 16th. It's a closed low pressure system diving down from a pretty northerly direction. This type of system is a crap shoot as far as how it'll shake out for us. It's also still more than a week out so today's solution will most likely change. What I don't like is that it looks like we slide right back into the same pattern that we've been in right after that storm.
There have been no recent avalanches reported on the Manti Skyline. There was, however, an avalanche accident that killed a snowmobiler in Montana on Sunday. The reason I mention it is that the area there has similar conditions to what we have on the Skyline. This demonstrates that even small avalanches can be lethal. Below is the initial report:
On Sunday, one snowmobiler in a group of four was caught and killed in a small avalanche on Ski Hill at the south end of Lionhead Ridge. He was on a 45-degree slope when it released and partially buried him against a tree. The slide was only 4"-11" deep, 75 feet wide and ran 300 feet vertical. His head was a foot under the snow. The avalanche was not witnessed and the victim was buried an estimated 15-25 minutes before he was uncovered. Rescue efforts were not successful. The group was familiar with the area and had rescue gear. The shallow, steep slide ended in trees, a terrain trap.
