Ad
The National Forest Service Logo
icon-add Observation
Forecasts
Logan Ogden Salt Lake Provo Uintas Skyline Moab Abajos Weather Archives How to read the forecast
Observations & Avalanches
Submit Observation NEW - Observations Explorer All Observations Avalanches Fatalities Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills On-Snow Courses Resources and Tutorials
Events
Store
About
Contact Who we are Core Values Staff Board of Directors Past Forecasters Sponsors Annual Reports Sign In
Blog
icon-add Observation
Donate / Join

Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees for
Thursday, March 7, 2013

Today’s avalanche concerns are the wind drifts created by yesterday's strong, southerly winds and the wet avalanche potential, especially on lower elevation northerly facing terrain.

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all steep wind drifted slopes, most widespread on northwest through easterly facing terrain at the mid and upper elevations. Human triggered avalanches possible. The avalanche danger is also MODERATE for heat related avalanches – wet sluffs, a few wet slabs, and an isolated glide avalanche.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
  • Tonight: a Free 'Know Before You Go' presentation will be held at the Black Diamond Store at 7pm.
  • Tonight: at 6pm, Meghan Hicks will be speaking at the Wildflower Lounge at Snowbird about Ultrarunning as a means for adventure, as part of the Utah Adventure Journal Speaker Series. Admission is Free- A $5 donation to the Utah Avalanche Center gets you 3 tickets to a drawing with great prizes from our sponsors
  • Utah PowderKeg: this weekend at Brighton. Friday 3/8-Sunday3/10. The drawing following the Wasatch Powderkeg on Saturday will feature a pair of NEW locally-made Voile WSP SkiMo race skis, still warm from the oven. Al proceeds from the drawing benefit the UAC.
Weather and Snow

Skies are mostly cloudy this morning, with light snow still falling to the north of I-80. Snow totals are about 3” north of I-80, 0 to 2” in the Park City and Salt Lake mountains, and perhaps a trace further south. Temperatures slowly cooled overnight, and are now in the mid to low 20s. After a brief period of blowing from the northwest, the winds are shifting back to a southerly direction, and most stations are averaging less than 10 mph, with gusts less than 25 mph.

Recent Avalanches

Sensitive cornices were easily triggered on heavily wind drifted northerly facing slopes in the Ogden area mountains yesterday, 50 to 250’ wide, failing on Sunday’s faceted snow surface. Minor natural sluffing occurred on some steep, northerly facing slopes from wind drifting.

Ogden cornice slide

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

Yesterday’s strong southerly winds created sensitive cornices and medium to hard wind drifts, mostly on mid and upper elevation northerly facing slopes. While a bit more stubborn today, people will still be able to trigger these drifts, some being hard slabs that will break out above you or on the second person. Cornices are large and sensitive, and often break back further than anticipated.

Avalanche Problem #2
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The low to mid elevation snowpack probably got a small shot of rain last night, and many lower elevation slopes have had less than 12 hours of below freezing temperatures. This isn’t really giving the snow much chance to cool and strengthened. As temperatures warm again today, and the sun possibly comes out, the potential for gouging wet loose sluffs and wet slabs will increase. The wet slabs will be most likely in the weak, layered snow pack of lower to almost mid elevation slopes facing northwest through northeast through southeast. Check out Drew's great observation and video HERE.

Low elevation terrain is tricky – because it looks small, we forget that it has serious terrain traps such as gullies, creek beds, road banks – where the snow from even small slides can pile up deeply. Glide cracks seem to be opening early this year – spend as little time below the yawning gaps as possible.

Additional Information

Last night’s wimpy cold front is dissipating as it retreats northward this morning as a warm front, and skies will be partly cloudy today. Under a southerly flow temperatures will warm to near 40 at 8,000’ and into the mid-20s at 10,000’. The southerly winds will gradually increase throughout the day, though speeds across even the highest peaks should only reach 20 to 30 mph averages, with gusts in the 40s. As the low pressure system moves inland well to the south of us, the northern Utah mountains will get periods of light snow tonight through Saturday morning, with total accumulations of about 6 inches of dense snow.

General Announcements

Go to http://www.backcountry.com/utah-avalanche-center to get tickets from our partners at Beaver Mountain, Canyons, 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 (801-745-3772 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 by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet.

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.

Next forecast >