Nothing is open and there is no snow to ski. The snow sensors at Snowbird, Brighton and above Park City all read zero this morning, and it was 51°F at mid-mountain at Alta at 5am. The thing to watch is a storm arriving Saturday night that could put the first snow of the season on the upper mountains early next week.
This week
A slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm this afternoon, then sunny and dry through Friday. Highs near 62°F at 9,800 feet at Alta, lows in the mid-40s.
The weekend storm
The National Weather Service says about three in four of its model runs bring a trough down from British Columbia that picks up tropical moisture from the eastern Pacific. If that happens, south winds increase Saturday, precipitation starts Saturday night, and it could keep going into early Wednesday.
It starts warm. Snow levels begin around 11,500 to 12,000 feet, which is above the top of every resort (Hidden Peak at Snowbird is 11,000 feet), so the first part falls as rain. Snow levels then drop a couple of thousand feet, which would put snow on the upper mountain in the Cottonwoods. Forecasters expect 1 to 2 inches of water in total and say high-elevation snow “could be substantial.” The other one in four model runs keep the storm drier.
None of this opens a lift. It is the first storm of the fall worth watching.
Opening days
Alta has November 20 and Deer Valley has December 5. The other four have not listed a date with Ski Utah yet. All of them depend on snow.
Avalanche
The Utah Avalanche Center has no danger rating posted for the Salt Lake zone today.
Compiled at 7:15am from the National Weather Service forecast for Alta and its forecast discussion, SNOTEL snow sensors, Alta’s mountain report and Ski Utah. Road status from UDOT.