There is a Moderate danger today on all slopes for both recent deposits of wind drifted snow and wet avalanche activity. Avoid any steep slopes with recent wind drifts and any steep slopes that are getting wet from warm temperatures or sun.
Special AnnouncementsYesterday, five UDOT forecasters and three UAC forecasters visited the site of the very tragic fatality of UDOT avalanche forecaster Craig Patterson on Thursday. We posted a preliminary report with photos on our website. Our hearts go out to his family and all his other friends. Craig was widely loved and admired by all.
One of the rescuers summed it up best, "It was a very small avalanche with a very bad ride." Note: all media inquiries on this accident should be directed to UDOT.
Weather and SnowTemperatures are about 10 degrees warmer this morning than yesterday morning and the winds have picked up and are blowing 15-20 mph with higher gusts from the southwest and will increase throughout the day. High clouds have arrived this morning and they will increase and lower throughout the day.
Snow surface conditions include wet or crusted snow on all the sun exposed slopes with still a little soft, dry, settled snow on north facing slopes above about 9,500'.
Recent AvalanchesYesterday, there were no significant avalanches reported. There were several wet loose avalanches on steep slopes and one person experienced a very large collapse in Wolverine Cirque as he was booting up but it did not slide.
With a quick-hitting cold front expected this evening, the winds will pick up and blow harder throughout the day. They should increase to 40, gusting to 50 from the southwest and they will likely drift snow onto downwind terrain especially along the upper elevation ridges where there is still some loose, dry snow to blow around. In addition, tonight we are expecting 1-3 inches of new snow with the passage of the cold front and the winds may also drift some new snow as well. Most of the wind deposits will occur on the north through east facing slopes but they could be cross-loaded into other terrain as well. As always, avoid any steep slope with recent wind drifts.
Wet sluffs should continue today. But we will have to pay attention to a critical heat balance; on one hand, temperatures are about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday but on the other hand, wind will help cool the wind-exposed slopes and as clouds increase through the day, it will also help to keep slopes cool. I'm guessing that wet avalanche activity will stay under control today but, as always, stay off of--and out from underneath--any steep slopes when they get wet.
Note: there is almost no snow on southerly facing slopes at lower elevations so the danger rose is left blank there.
A quick-hitting cold font should arrive this evening around dinner time, which should give us 1-3 inches of new snow overnight. During the day today, we will have thickening and lowering clouds and winds should increase to 40, gusting to 50 from the southwest. The daytime high should be 40-45 degrees and cool to the mid teens overnight.
The extended forecast calls for an extended period of cold, unstable air Sunday evening through Wednesday. Most of the energy from this system will go through central and southern Utah so we will just get colder temperatures with instability showers that probably won't add up to significant amounts of snow--probably 6-12 inches in the mountains Sunday through Wednesday.
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.
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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.
