Reported Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 6:50 AM

Weather Forecast

Today:
Today: Partly to mostly cloudy, light snow, southwest winds 15-25 mph and highs in the 20’s

Tonight:
Tonight: Partly to mostly cloudy, light snow, south winds 10-20 mph and a low around 15.

Tomorrow:
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy, South winds 20-30 mph, and highs around 30.

Weather Outlook

The closed low has spun the moisture to our north quicker than expected but it’s not gone yet. Models are having a hard time figuring this one out. The low seems to be bouncing around bringing unsettled weather to our mountains for the next few days. With this unsettled weather we can expect winds 25 mph and higher through Saturday. We could see isolated snowfall over the mountains but it looks like it will be in and out so it won’t add up to much. Temperatures should continue to drop today as the cool air slides in behind the front. It is going to be hard to tell but it looks like the start of the Grand Traverse is now going to be cloudy skies, possible light snow and temperatures around 20 and winds gusting into the upper 30’s.

Danger Rating

Normal Caution

LOW with pockets of MODERATE on north aspects above treeline.
LOW on all other aspects and elevations

Avalanche Problem #1

Normal Caution  
Low
LIKELIHOOD OF TRIGGERING
  
Small
AVALANCHE SIZE
  
Trend

In the Backcountry

Yesterday brought us cooler temperatures which helped keep the snowpack in the freeze part of the melt freeze cycle. This means that the upper layers are more supportable and riders do not penetrate to deeper layers. Winds were still strong enough to move snow last night but there is not a lot of snow available to be transported but we could see newly formed wind slabs sitting on top of melt freeze crusts in isolated areas. These isolated areas could be unstable and be in unusual spots on slopes due to the strong winds. The melt freeze crust is well developed especially at lower elevations and wet avalanches are not a threat as long as the temperatures stay near freezing.

Travel Advisory

Watch for temperatures to continue to drop during the day. Winds could be gusty above treeline. Practice good habits during good stability times too

Reported by: Alan