BOTTOM LINE
Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)
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Danger Rose Tutorial
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Dangerous avalanche conditions persist and a CONSIDERABLE (level 3) avalanche danger remains in the backcountry on steep drifted slopes in exposed terrain and on shady slopes above around 7500' in elevation with weak preexisting snow. In these areas, you probably could trigger dangerous avalanches on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees. Avalanches could still be triggered remotely from a distance, or from below.
Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding, and conservative decision-making are essential for safe backcountry travel today. |
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CURRENT CONDITIONS |
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The Campbell Scientific weather station at 9700’on Logan Peak reports 30 mph winds from the west and 20 degrees this morning. Its 27 degrees at the 8400' Tony Grove Snotel, and with 29 inches of total snow on the ground the station sits at exactly 50% of average snow for the date.
Dangerous avalanche conditions continue to plague upper elevation slopes in the region, and this is not a good time to be testing your skills or the raw power of your new sled on steep hills. Last night’s winds only made the situation trickier, and a storm tomorrow will cause an increasing danger yet again. |
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RECENT ACTIVITY |
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My party remotely triggered a large avalanche Friday afternoon while returning back down to the sled in the Tony Grove Area. (Tony Grove-Blind Hollow Saddle,12-18-09)
Numerous avalanche and snow observations were sent in to the Utah Avalanche Center over the past week..... Interesting to be able to read and learn from others experiences....(current conditions page) |
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THREAT #1 |
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PROBABILITY |
SIZE |
TREND |
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Over the next
36 hours.
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Very weak faceted snow plagues most shady upper and mid elevation slopes, and slabs built on top of this junk by the significant heavy snow last weekend caused a very unstable snow structure.... This turns out to be a persistent and very dangerous problem, and a great danger of triggering deadly avalanches remains... As we've seen last week, in these conditions, avalanches can be triggered remotely from a distance, or worse from below. |
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THREAT #2 |
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| WHERE |
PROBABILITY |
SIZE |
TREND |
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Over the next
24
hours.
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West winds picked up yesterday afternoon and stayed fairly strong through last night, drifting recrystallized snow into stiff slabs on the leeward sides of the high ridge lines. Slopes facing horizontally to the wind may be hard to read, as they’re subjected to both scouring and drifting or cross-loading.
Expect the danger of wind slab and storm snow avalanches to rise on Tuesday, with periods of heavy snowfall and moderately strong northwest winds in the forecast... |
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MOUNTAIN WEATHER |
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A continuing southwest wind will keep mountain temperatures fairly warm today. Expect cloudy conditions with snowfall possible in the afternoon....The center of an energetic storm system will pass to our west tonight and early tomorrow, and despite the southerly trajectory of the bulk of this system, we could see a period of heavy snowfall and fairly significant accumulations in the mountains.
Looks like weather conditions will improve as Christmas Day approaches....... |
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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS |
I will be issuing morning avalanche advisories for the Logan area on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale at discounted prices.
If you want to get this avalanche advisory e-mailed to you daily click HERE.
Send us your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call me at 435-757-7578 or the SLC office at 800-662-4140, or email to uac@utahavalanchecenter.org
Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.
The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
I will update this forecast on Wednesday morning. Thanks for checking in.... |
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This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur. |
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This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:
The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list. |
