How it Works

What does a NOAA weather buoy 3000 miles away in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean have to do with snow in Utah, Colorado & Wyoming? Good question! Since the dawn of time, humans have been trying to plan their powder days, a futile feat… until now. Is it magic? Is it science? Is it dumb luck? The answer may be yes to all of the above, but more than anything, the Powderbuoy is all about a positive vibration and energy that connects soul riders around the world.

““Yeahbuuuuooooyyyyyy””

- William Jonathan Drayton Jr.

It All Starts With the Buoy

Deep in the North Pacific, a lonely NOAA buoy floats, diligently collecting all sorts of weather data. No friends on a powder day? This lonely buoy may think its only friends are the passing birds who may stop by for a few; little does the buoy know how much happiness and joy it brings to people around the world on powder days.

Weather Prediction

Tracking buoys is nothing new; surfers have followed buoys since Gary Busey was dropping in on Big Wednesday to find out when swells are going to hit specific breaks. The Powderbuoy uses these same NOAA buoys in Hawaii and tracks the same energy that surfers ride in waves in Hawaii to forecast snow that we ride in our mountains. When the buoy pops, two weeks later you’re going to want to clear your calendar.

Plan Your Powder Flu

Don’t let those sick days go to waste, plan your flu and go get you some! That TPS report can wait for another day, you’ve got powder to ski. Yeahbuoy!

Go to the Buoy Dashboard

From the Blog

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In 2004 a friend of mine who lived part of the year in Hawaii and [...]

How do I interpret the plume data (Blue line graph)?

The Atmospheric Sciences Department at the University of Utah is one of the best, if [...]

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From Instagram

Alta snow lab report just in…. Lab deep out there #yeahbuoy

Alta snow lab report just in…. Lab deep out there #yeahbuoy ...

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Max says he’s ready for some more lab deep conditions around march 1. I’ve been slacking on the lab reports this season, will make a concerted effort going forward. Yesterday morning was probably 3/4 lab deep around here. Still looking for snow on the 17th and 21st. #yeahbuoy

Max says he’s ready for some more lab deep conditions around march 1. I’ve been slacking on the lab reports this season, will make a concerted effort going forward. Yesterday morning was probably 3/4 lab deep around here. Still looking for snow on the 17th and 21st. #yeahbuoy ...

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A quick teaser tomorrow for the main valentines event with some follow through. Hopefully this week’s cold weather pulls through into the storm days. #yeahbuoy

A quick teaser tomorrow for the main valentines event with some follow through. Hopefully this week’s cold weather pulls through into the storm days. #yeahbuoy ...

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Buoypops like dippin dots. Feb 17/18 and 21 on the radar. Nice bonus yesterday and overnight. Keeping the weekend streak going, more snow on the horizon 11th and Valentine’s Day +. Stoked to watch some dual moguls tonight, go @alli_macuga #yeahbuoy

Buoypops like dippin dots. Feb 17/18 and 21 on the radar. Nice bonus yesterday and overnight. Keeping the weekend streak going, more snow on the horizon 11th and Valentine’s Day +. Stoked to watch some dual moguls tonight, go @alli_macuga #yeahbuoy ...

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Dreaming back to when cold smoke was cold smoke and groovin was groovin. #yeahbuoy

Dreaming back to when cold smoke was cold smoke and groovin was groovin. #yeahbuoy ...

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Can someone please turn down the heat? 66 degrees in SLC today is unacceptable and really jacking up the whole operation.  Still looking for snow on the 6th, 8th and before Valentine’s Day, but definitely need a cool down to see some real accumulation. Lots of gnarly slides out there too, safety first. Wish I was still in 🇯🇵 #yeahbuoy

Can someone please turn down the heat? 66 degrees in SLC today is unacceptable and really jacking up the whole operation. Still looking for snow on the 6th, 8th and before Valentine’s Day, but definitely need a cool down to see some real accumulation. Lots of gnarly slides out there too, safety first. Wish I was still in 🇯🇵 #yeahbuoy ...

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A healthier pop landing right before Valentine’s Day, maybe the 11th. This reminds me a little of last year, hopefully the faucet starts turning on this weekend and fires right through like it did last year. This first storm push, another Saturday special, looks to be hitting harder to the north, should last a few days, then the 5-7th, then 9th, then 11-13th. Let’s go Ullr. #yeahbuoy

A healthier pop landing right before Valentine’s Day, maybe the 11th. This reminds me a little of last year, hopefully the faucet starts turning on this weekend and fires right through like it did last year. This first storm push, another Saturday special, looks to be hitting harder to the north, should last a few days, then the 5-7th, then 9th, then 11-13th. Let’s go Ullr. #yeahbuoy ...

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A wee little pop for the 9th/10th, keeping the weekend storms rollin’. February 1 looks like it’s another Saturday storm and should last for a few days. #yeahbuoy

A wee little pop for the 9th/10th, keeping the weekend storms rollin’. February 1 looks like it’s another Saturday storm and should last for a few days. #yeahbuoy ...

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Feb 6/7 on the radar. This next storm looks to be SW flow, good for Wasatch back, 26th. Next is still on target for end of the month/first few days of feb. #yeahbuoy

Feb 6/7 on the radar. This next storm looks to be SW flow, good for Wasatch back, 26th. Next is still on target for end of the month/first few days of feb. #yeahbuoy ...

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Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu #unbui

Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu #unbui ...

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The buoy’s poppin’ don’t come a knockin’. Storm for the 26/27th coming into view, I guess that little pop the other day may turn into something. Bigger buoypop in the works right now, still targeting the flip into Feb. This weekend looks to be a bit all over the map depending on who you read, hope for some lake effect and I like the UAC report the best. Keep the stoke alive! #yeahbuoy

The buoy’s poppin’ don’t come a knockin’. Storm for the 26/27th coming into view, I guess that little pop the other day may turn into something. Bigger buoypop in the works right now, still targeting the flip into Feb. This weekend looks to be a bit all over the map depending on who you read, hope for some lake effect and I like the UAC report the best. Keep the stoke alive! #yeahbuoy ...

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