Hiking Baldy at Snowbird on May 1, 2010; Photo by Kris Saign
Assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere, you’re likely looking forward to summer’s arrival instead of backward to winter’s snowy days. Here in Utah, however, after a mediocre ski season, we still have snow on the brain. A 33-inch dump at Snowbird resort last weekend didn’t help any of us move on to our summer sport of choice.
As if we weren’t having enough trouble recovering from last weekend’s powder panic, while we sat at our desks yesterday and watched snowflakes fall outside our office windows, we stumbled onto Flaky Science. The Economist highlights the research of two scientists at the University of Utah who think they’ve determined what weather and temperature conditions make the best snow for skiing and riding.
The researchers studied 547 storms at Alta resort in Utah’s Wasatch Range and found they could predict the water content in snow by using just two variables: wind speed and temperature. The water content can tell forecasters whether the coming storm will brew up powder or concrete.
All of which is good news for skiers planning a last-minute trip to the slopes. They will have a much better idea before they set off of what they can expect. It should also help in the prediction of avalanche risk, because snow slips are often the result of dense snow falling on a less-dense underlayer.
The National Weather Service in Utah has adopted the U of U researchers’ method to improve snowfall forecasts.
This weekend’s weather report? Cloudy with a chance of snow on Sunday. Maybe not yet time to pull out the bike and store the planks.
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Tags: skiing, snow science, snowboarding