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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees on
Tuesday morning, February 16, 2016

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all steep slopes today. The new snow has bonded poorly to mid and upper elevation slopes facing north and northeast, and a few lingering wind drifts could be triggered at the upper elevations. Steep sunny slopes and all mid and lower elevation slopes have a MODERATE danger of wet loose sluffs as the day heats up.

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Special Announcements

With the freedom of the backcountry comes responsibility. The new video “Knowledge, Awareness and Wisdom” discusses expectations in the backcountry. Check it out https://vimeo.com/155468785

Tuesday, February 16th - Companion Rescue at Weller Recreation from 6:30-9pm. For more info HERE.

Weather and Snow

Under clearing skies, temperatures in the Provo area mountains are in the upper twenties to low 30s. The westerly winds are probably still brisk along the upper elevation ridgelines, perhaps averaging to 40 mph, but are generally averaging less than 10 mph in the Provo mid elevation terrain. Upper elevation storm totals were 9-10” in Little Cottonwood, 4-8” in Big Cottonwood, on the Park City side and in the Ogden area mountains and just a few inches in the Provo area mountains, all of very dense graupel laden snow.

Yesterday, the rain/snow line crept up to about 8,000’. Above that, look for good turning and riding in the dense new snow, below about 8,000’ there will be icy crusts this morning, rapidly warming to soggy wet snow.

Recent Avalanches

The only backcountry slide reported was released by an intentional ski cut in No Name on the Park City ridge line. The slide broke out 10 feet below the cut, and was new snow only, 6” – 12” deep by 150’ wide. This repeat offender is on a northeast facing slope at 9400’,and I suspect the old snow surface it failed on was near surface facets. Resort and highway avalanche reduction work in the Cottonwoods released numerous class 2 slides, mostly with explosives, on a variety of aspects.

Photos of No Name slide by McCurdy, Kemp, or Haggard


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Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The most likely place to trigger a new snow slide today will be on a mid or upper elevation slope facing north through northeast, where there was still dry, sugary faceted snow on the surface before the storm. These slides could be triggered remotely from a distance or break out above you.

In addition, a few lingering wind drifts 1 to 2 feet deep could be triggered by a person on steep slopes, mostly along upper elevation ridge lines. And graupel pooling may have occurred below cliff bands and at the bottoms of steep gullies and chutes, forming deeper slabs that could be triggered today.

This video by Trent Meisenheimer takes a closer look at the continuing weak structure and snow in a repeater avalanche path. Days Repeater from Trent Meisenheimer on Vimeo.

Days Repeater from Trent Meisenheimer on Vimeo.

Avalanche Problem #2
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The snow on low and mid elevation slopes will be feeling the heat today as temperatures rise into the 40s, as will the snow on steep sunny slopes anytime the clouds thin. Wet sluffs will become easy to initiate, and a few natural avalanches are possible. Keep close track of the snow as it heats, and get off steep slopes before the snow becomes wet or soggy. The snow on steep, shady slopes at low and mid elevations will be especially easy to trigger.

House and building roofs are shedding their snow, too, and the debris can pile up deep enough to bury and kill a person.

Additional Information

Low clouds and local riming could linger at a few lower elevations this morning, but will dissipate. However, a stream of high clouds will be over the area through the rest of the day, creating variable cloud cover. Temperatures will warm into the mid 40s at 8,000’ and into the low 30s at 10,000’. The strong northwesterly winds along the ridge lines will slowly decrease through out the day.

A warm, dry southwest flow will develop Wednesday, with 10,000’ temperatures soaring into the upper 30s and winds increasing ahead of the Thursday cold front.

General Announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

To get help in an emergency (to launch a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911. Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort/PCMR Dispatch (435)615-1911

Snowbasin Resort Dispatch (801-620-1017), Powder Mountain Dispatch (801-745-3772 x 123).

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

EMAIL ADVISORY If you would like to get the daily advisory by email you will need to subscribe here.​

DAWN PATROL Hotline updated daily by 5-530am - 888-999-4019 option 8.

Twitter Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

UDOT canyon closures: LINK TO UDOT, or on Twitter, follow @UDOTavy, @CanyonAlerts or @AltaCentral

Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.

Powderbird Helicopter Skiing - Blog/itinerary for the day

Lost or Found something in the backcountry? - http://nolofo.com/

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

To those skinning uphill at resorts: it is your responsibility to know the resort policy on uphill travel. You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here. IMPORTANT: Before skinning or hiking at a resort under new snow conditions, check in with Ski Patrol. Resorts can restrict or cut off access if incompatible with control and grooming operations.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI: Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC. Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell. You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

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 exist.

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