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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees for
Friday, March 8, 2019
The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE at the upper elevations, and on northwest through easterly facing mid elevation slopes. New snow avalanches 1 to 2 feet deep can be triggered, along the ridge lines and mid slope. The avalanche danger will peak this afternoon during frontal passage and or any time it snows heavily or the winds pick up. Use cautious route finding and conservative decision making today. A MODERATE avalanche danger exists on most other mid and low elevation slopes for triggering a new snow slide.
The warm, new snow instabilities strengthen quickly, so patience for just a day or two before stepping into bigger, steep terrain. For now, the vast untracked acres of surfy snow on low angle slopes offer safer terrain.
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Weather and Snow
Under a light southwest flow, most areas picked up 2 to 4” of snow overnight. Storm totals are now 16 to 20” in the upper Cottonwoods, containing 1 1/2 to over 2” of water weight, and about a foot on the Park City side. Yesterday’s graupel made for supportable, surfy turning conditions. The southwesterly winds are shockingly light this morning - averaging 5 to 15 mph, with a few high gusts on the highest peaks in the 30s and 40s over the past few hours. Temperatures are in the low 20s and teens.
Today: continued light to moderate snow, with the cold front arriving this afternoon. Snow through early this afternoon will be heaviest in areas favoring southwest flow, with 5 to 10” possible. The cold front arriving this afternoon will bring a period of heavier snow, continuing into the overnight hours, with an additional 4 to 8” overnight in areas favored by northwest flow.
Winds will remain from the southwest, averaging 10 to 20 mph at times, with gusts to 30. Highest peaks will only average 25 mph, with gusts to 35.
Temperatures will continue their cooling trend, and remain in the low twenties today at 10,000’, before dropping into the teens tonight.
Recent Avalanches
There were numerous triggered slides in the backcountry and at the resorts yesterday, with people taking a couple of short rides. The largest was a very connected slide on Lake Peak, in White Pine about a foot deep by 1/3 to a 1/2 mile wide, running 1000' vert.
Slides involving graupel as the weak layer broke in pools below cliff bands and propagated on to lower angle slopes. Pioneer Ridge, 2' deep x 300' wide.
Shallow, new snow slides averaging 6-10" deep and 80 to 100’ wide were triggered in Days, Silver Fork, Figure 8 Hill and Rocky Point, including Jaws and Doug’s Drop. A wind slab triggered on Benson Hedges turned wet as it moved downhill.
A couple larger natural slides broke into the weak snow from the weekend in White Pine and S Monitor, 10 to 20” deep and 300 feet wide. Greg Gagne checked out the White Pine slide.
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Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Today, again, expect new snow soft slabs and sluffs to be easily triggered, especially during any periods of heavier snowfall or increases in wind. The slides failing in the new snow or graupel pools will average 1 to 2 feet deep, and 100 to 300’ wide. Many slides yesterday were triggered well off the ridge lines, mid slope or in pooled graupel beneath cliff bands. Slides failing on the low density snow from last weekend will be just a bit deeper and wider, like the slides in White Pine. The new snow will be most sensitive during periods of intense snowfall, probably peaking during the afternoon frontal passage.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
A few periods of stronger south to southwesterly winds overnight and the past 48 hours created localized drifts, most widespread along the higher ridge lines, but also found mid slope. Identify and avoid the smooth, denser, rounded slabs of wind drifted snow. Large cornices continue to be sensitive with the added weight of the new snow on top. Stay way back from the edges as you travel along ridge lines, and don’t travel beneath them.
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This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
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