Big Water Amounts

For the last 2-3 hours, precipitation rates in Little Cottonwood Canyon have been exceptionally high.  During the cool season, it is quite unusual for snow water equivalents to exceed 0.3" an hour, but Alta-Collins reported 0.36" for the hour ending at 11 AM MDT and 0.39" for the hour ending at 12 PM MDT (ignore the 34" snow interval ob which is bad).

These numbers are consistent with those measured at the Snowbird SNOTEL station, so water equivalent rates of .3" or more per hour seem likely.

Radar imagery over and upstream of Little Cottonwood showed frequent initiation of radar echoes in central and Utah County extending downtream over the Wasatch Range.  These echoes have gotten more cellular and intense in the last few frames.

At low elevation, all of this wonderful water has gone to waste.  The UDOT camera at the White Pine Parking lot (~7500 ft) shows just a hint of snow sticking here and there.  Nearly all rain here so far.

At high elevations, however, it is piling up fast.  Looks like 4-5" on the Snowbird Snow Stake near the top of Gad II (9900 ft).

Source: Snowbird

Looks like my outlook for modest accumulations today at upper elevations (see previous post) could be going down in flames.