Nowcast - As of 0500AM, starry skies have faded and increasing clouds are gathering in the area. A winter storm is being ushered into the region by winds blowing from the southwest near 35 MPH gusting into the mid-40's at upper elevations. Ambient temperatures hang in the low 20's°F but strong winds are cooling things down into the single digit °F's.

Forecast - Expect weather to deteriorate as the day progresses. It is going to feel a bit rugged out there today while winds crank into the 30 MPH range and temperatures reach a high of 25°F. Later this afternoon we could see the first snow showers enter the region, but they will not bring much accumulation right off the rip.

Futurecast - The meat of the storm rolls in between late this evening into early Tuesday, delivering anywhere between 4-8" of snow with .2-5" of SWE. As the week progress, things stay active with another pulse later this week into the weekend, potentially stacking up 1-1.25" of water by Sunday.

Travel Conditions - Access has taken a hard hit over the past few days from warm temperatures and increasingly strong sunshine. Snow depths vary quite a bit, but get above 9,000' on the northerly aspects and you'll find from 1-4' deep, mostly right-side up snowpack. In general, protected polars are riding OK but the surface has been so worked by the elements that we are long overdue for a refresh.

The Wizard continues finding stellar riding in mid-elevation, mellow, sheltered terrain. This is the exact terrain that is going to get spooky as soon as we start to stack up some snow.