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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees for
Thursday, December 21, 2017

The avalanche danger is MODERATE today on upper elevation slopes in the Provo area mountians - human triggered avalanches are possible on steep upper elevation slopes with recent wind drifts. The drifts are hidden beneath last night’s few inches of new snow, and may be hard to identify. Out of the wind-affected terrain, loose snow sluffs can be triggered, and could be larger and run further than expected.

Due the shallow snowpack, being caught and carried by even a small avalanche could be very dangerous, as you will be dragged through shallowly buried rocks or downed trees.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements

For the 2017/2018 winter, we're excited to introduce the Utah Avalanche Center podcast, hosted by forecaster Drew Hardesty and produced by KUER's Benjamin Bombard. On the podcast, you'll find engaging stories, interviews, and lessons learned - all things avalanche, all to help Keep people on top of the greatest snow on earth instead of buried beneath it - and easily found on ITunes, Stitcher, the UAC blog, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can find the first podcast, released yesterday here.

Don’t know what to buy your favorite skier for Christmas? Discount lift tickets for Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Deer Valley, Snowbasin,and Beaver Mountain are now available, donated by the resorts to benefit the Utah Avalanche Center. Details and order information here. These make a great holiday gift and all proceeds go towards paying for avalanche forecasting and education!

Weather and Snow

Skies are cloudy, and very light snow is still falling in the mountains. The few inches of 5% density snow are less than hoped for. Snow totals:

  • Ogden area mountains – 1 to 5”
  • Park City side – 2 to 4”
  • Cottonwooods – 5 to 9”
  • Provo area mountains – 1 to 3”

Temperatures are in the teens at the Provo area mountain weather stations, but most likely in the single digits at the high elevations. The northerly winds are currently light, but increase with elevation - strong enough to make it feel like -15°F (wind chill factor) in the breezy areas. So bundle up – wind speeds are expected to increase into the 10 to 20 mph range, with speeds across the high peaks averaging 15 to 25 mph, gusting to 30 mph.

The low to mid elevation slopes in the Provo area mountains below about 9500' are mostly bare, with only patchy snow. Ice climbing and hiking may be the current activities of choice for the Provo area mountians.

Recent Avalanches

None.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Yesterday, hours of strong, southwesterly winds drifted what snow it could find onto a variety of aspects and elevations. These drifts would be on upper elevation, northwest through easterly facing slopes in the Provo area mountains, the only place where there is weak, faceted snow beneath.

  • You may find more drifts off the ridgelines and even mid slope, than right along the ridgelines.
  • You will be able to trigger these drifts from a distance, or worse, from below.

I’d approach steep slopes at the highest elevations cautiously today– any cracking, collapsing or change in snow density in your travels are indications of wind drifts, and is a warning you should avoid steep slopes.

Avalanche Problem #2
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

After 3 weeks of high pressure, where there is snow, it's composed of very weak faceted snow and crusts. While this storm wasn’t large enough to overweight the old snow, a triggered avalanche just might be able to step down. So keep focused on this weak snow. There is always a first avalanche to a cycle. Again, only an issue above about 9,500'.

Additional Information

This morning’s snow flurries will give way to partly sunny skies by afternoon. But brisk winds and temperatures only warming into the teens to low 20s will make for a cold day in the mountains. The northwesterly winds will remain in the 10 to 20 mph range, with speeds along the highest ridgelines averaging 25 mph, with gusts to 30. Friday, skies will be partly sunny and temperatures slightly warmer. There’s another chance for a small shot of snow Friday night into Saturday.

General Announcements

FOR MORE GENERAL INFORMATION CLICK HERE

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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