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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees for
Sunday, December 16, 2012

The Avalanche Danger is CONSIDERABLE today on all steep, wind drifted mid and upper elevation slopes - both human triggered and natural avalanches are possible. Slides can be triggered from a distance, and avalanches may break into deeper weak layers, resulting in large, deadly slides.
CONSIDERABLE means dangerous avalanche conditions exist – avalanche training and experience are essential for backcountry travel today. Use conservative decision making, careful route finding and good travel habits.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Avalanche Watch

I have issued an Avalanche Watch for the mountains of northern and central Utah, including the western Uintas. Strong winds and snow are creating dangerous avalanche conditions with both human triggered and natural avalanches possible. This new snow is overloading preexisting weak layers in a very complex snowpack. The avalanche danger will continue to increase tonight and tomorrow to High Danger.

Special Announcements

Discount lift tickets are in! With a wild week of weather and backcountry avalanches in the forecast, heading to one of our world class resorts is a great idea. Go to http://www.backcountry.com/utah-avalanche-center to get tickets from our partners at Alta, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Canyons, Deer Valley, Park City, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Solitude, Sundance, and Wolf Mountain. All proceeds benefit the Utah Avalanche Center. A big thanks to the Utah mountain resorts - we couldn't do it without your partnership.

Weather and Snow

Snow continues, with overnight upper elevation totals in the 5 to 10 inch range in the upper Cottonwoods, and 2 to 6” in the Ogden and Provo mountains and on the PC side. Densities are less than 5%. Storm totals are now 1 to 2 feet in the Cottonwoods, and around a foot in the rest of the northern Utah mountains.

The southwesterly winds are just starting to ramp up – in the Ogden mountains, they’re averaging 20 to 30 mph, with gusts in the 40s. The Provo, Salt Lake and Park City mountains have speed of 10 to 20 mph, with the highest ridges gusting in the low 30’s. Temperatures are in the single digits and teens.

Recent Avalanches

Yesterday’s avalanche activity was new snow only - long running sluffs in steep terrain, packing a punch, and a few soft slabs. Major collapsing was noted along the northern Park City ridgeline.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The winds are the Game Changer today – with one to two feet of low density snow to blow around, very sensitive wind drifts 1 to 3 feet deep are rapidly forming along the high ridgelines. The drifts will increase in depth, coverage and sensitivity all day, and form at the mid elevations, too. Avoid all steep, wind drifted slopes.

Out of the wind drifted terrain, expect increasingly large sluffs on steep slopes - large enough to catch and carry a person.

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

The snow pack is more complex than your grandmother’s crazy quilt – the facet/crust sandwiches have been found on west through north through east facing slopes, from below 8,000’ all the way to the ridgelines, and are especially weak in shallow snowpack areas. Deep dangerous slides could be triggered by a person today, or by a new snow slide. Collapsing is a sign you’re in a weak snowpack area.

Faceted weak layers mean you can release avalanches from a distance, or they can be stubborn, and break out above you or on the 2nd or 3rd person.

Additional Information

Snow, heavy at times, will continue today, with another 6 to 12 inches of low density powder expected. The southwesterly winds will gradually increase throughout the day, with speeds across the high ridges reaching 25 to 35 mph averages, with gusts to 50. Temperatures will remain in the teens.

Tonight and Monday, more heavy snow, with an additional 1 to 2 feet possible, accompanied by warming temperatures and very strong southwesterly winds. This storm cycle will be capped off by a cold front Monday night, with snow possible through Wednesday morning.

General Announcements

Go to http://www.backcountry.com/utah-avalanche-center to get tickets from our partners at Ala, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Canyons, Deer Valley, Park City, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Solitude, Sundance, and Wolf Mountain. All proceeds benefit the Utah Avalanche Center.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)

Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Powder Mountain Ski Patrol Dispatch (801-745-3773 ex 123)

Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30: 888-999-4019 option 8.

Twitter Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

Wasatch Powderbird Guides does daily updates about where they'll be operating on this blog http://powderbird.blogspot.com/ .

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 bysubmitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email by clicking HERE

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.

For a print version of this advisory click HERE.

This advisory is produced by the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. It describes only general avalanche conditions and local variations always exist. Specific terrain and route finding decisions should always be based on skills learned in a field-based avalanche class.

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