3-day Weather Forecast and Outlook for ParkCity/Deer Valley/Canyons

Discussion.. A cold north to northwest flow will persist over the weekend into the first of next week. A weak weather system is embedded in the flow for the weekend.

Today and tonight.. Partly cloudy with high near 40 and low near 20.

Saturday and Sunday.. Mostly cloudy with a 20-30% chance of snow showers. Highs near 40 and lows near 20.

Monday - Wednesday.. Partly cloudy with highs near 40 but upper 40s by Wednesday. Lows20-25.

**Opening Dates**
Park City Mountain Resort - Nov 20th
Deer Valley Resort Dec - 4th
Canyons resort Nov - 26th

Snowfall Amounts Expected from Current Storm

Discussion.. A significant and cold fall storm has moved into the area. The expected snowfall amounts today through early Wednesday are..

Wasatch Mountains (Park City, Deer Valley, Canyons) 6-12 inches

Colorado Rockies (Vail and Beaver Creek) 6-12 inches

Sawtooth Mountains (Sun Valley/Ketchum) 3-6 inches

La Nina Update as of Nov 4

La Nina is expected to last at least into the Northern Hemisphere spring 2011.

La Nina continued during the the month of October, as indicated by below-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across most of the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Consistent with nearly all ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) forecast models, LaNina is expected to last at least into the spring of 2011. A large majority of models also predict La Nina to become a strong episode by the November-January season before gradually weakening.

Recalling that this condition of the sea surface temperatures being colder than normal supports a northern storm track into the Pacific Northwest, Idaho and northern Utah. Northern/central Colorado would be on the extreme southern edge of the northern storm track.

3-day Weather Forecast and Outlook for Sun Valley/Ketchum

Discussion.. The mild weather of early November with give way to a cold Pacific storm system later in the weekend into the first part of the upcoming week.

Today and Saturday.. Fair. Highs in the lower 60s. Lows in the mid 30s.

Sunday.. Becoming cloudy with a 60% chance of rain or snow by sunset. Highs in the lower 50s. Lows near 30.

Monday through Wednesday.. 40-60% chance of snow (some rain mixing-in on Monday). Highs 35-40. Lows 20-25.

3-6 inches of snow is expected in the Sawtooth Mountains.

3-day Weather Forecast and Outlook for Vail/Beaver Creek

Discussion.. High pressure over the area with give way to a cold Pacific storm system with the brunt of the weather late in the weekend into the first of next week.

Today.. Fair with highs in the upper 60s. Lows in the mid 30s.

Saturday.. Partly cloudy with highs in the mid 60s. lows in the upper 30s.

Sunday.. 60% chance of rain and snow. Highs in the upper 50s. Lows near 30.

Monday.. 80% chance of rain and snow. Highs in the lower 40s. Lows 25-30.

Tuesday and Wednesday.. 30-40% chance of mostly snow. Highs around 40. Lows in the 20s.

The mountains above 8000 feet should received 3-6 inches of snow.

3-day Weather Forecast and Outlook for ParkCity/Deer Valley

Discussion.. High pressure over the area with give way to a cold Pacific storm system with the brunt of the weather late in the weekend into the first of next week.

Today.. Fair with highs in the upper 60s. Lows in the mid 30s.

Saturday.. Partly cloudy with highs in the mid 60s. lows in the upper 30s.

Sunday.. 60% chance of rain and snow. Highs in the upper 50s. Lows near 30.

Monday.. 80% chance of rain and snow. Highs in the lower 40s. Lows 25-30.

Tuesday and Wednesday.. 30-40% chance of mostly snow. Highs around 40. Lows in the 20s.

The mountains above 8000 feet should received 3-6 inches of snow.

Looking for Mujah

Saturday was our first winter snow storm. It rained and snowed all day and into the night. A local resident was out bird hunting with his two Brittany Spaniels near the Johnstone trail. In the minimal visibility, he approached an unseen cliff and slipped on the fresh, wet snow. He called his dogs back and one returned, the other, named Mujah ,kept going forward over the 150 ft cliff. Dan, the dog owner, spent hours looking at the base of the cliff and calling his dog. He found and heard nothing. He was certain that Mujah was stuck on one of the cliff ledges. As a last resort, he called in the Ketchum/Sun Valley backcountry rescue team and agreed to pay the costs to send the high angle rescue team out to scour the cliff.

Our 6 person high angle rescue team was dispatched out at 7 AM Sunday morning in a snowstorm. We packed up with ropes, harnesses, winter survival gear, medical equipment and supplies to be out all day. Dan guided us up to the place where he last saw his dog. The temperatures were below freezing and the snow was wet and cold. We built a fire to dry out and warm up after the 3 mile hike in with big gear packs. After we warmed at the fire and discussed our strategy, we split into two groups. One group assigned to look around the base of the cliff and one team to hike to the top and set up a rappel for a high angle search of the cliff. I was on the rope team.

The weather was a mix of ice and snow and the ropes and equipment were freezing and slippery. The rock face was also broken and loose. I was really thankful that I have years of experience with ropes and climbing gear. We made two careful passes on the cliff looking on ledges, traversing, descending and ascending the ropes. The rescue team below directed our efforts and provided another point of view while I was on the rope. Unfortunately, even after 7 hours in the field, we were not able to find Mujah. As our team bundled up the wet, heavy ropes and equipment, I apologized to Dan for not being able to find his lost dog. I felt a deep sadness for him and his grief was evident. He hiked out on his own while the team gathered and packed the rescue equipment for the hike out.

At the end of the day, the search lasted over 10 hours and was unsuccessful. The next day broke clear and cold. Dan went back out into the field with some of his friends. They did find Mujah about 60 feet from the base of the cliff. He was not alive, but Dan was happy to have found him and took his body home for burial.