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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Mark Staples
Issued by Mark Staples on
Saturday morning, April 1, 2017

The main issue today will be loose wet avalanches that will occur as the day warms. For this reason, the avalanche danger will be MODERATE. At the upper elevations, watch for any fresh wind slabs formed by strong NE winds.

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Weather and Snow

Yesterday around noon, warming temperatures and low clouds (acting as a greenhouse) made the new snow wet on most slopes up to 10,000 feet. These slopes should have a breakable ice crust this morning. Only a trace of wet snow fell yesterday during the day and none overnight as skies cleared. This morning the freezing line is near 7000 feet and above that elevation temperatures are generally in the upper 20's F. However, the main weather story is strong NE winds which are averaging 20-30 mph at ridgetops and gusting 40-60 mph. These winds are a little crazy blowing strong in one place while much calmer in other places. Even in the wide open terrain of the SLC airport, there has been a huge difference in winds from once side to the other.

Week in Review [Detailed Version]

This past week has been highlighted by the see-sawing of storm and bluebird days, with avalanche activity ranging from storm and wind slabs during stormy periods, to predictable wet activity on sunny days.

  • Saturday - A weak storm delivered 4-6" by late in the day in the central Wasatch.
  • Sunday - started cool & clear, but the strong March sun brought the usual round of shallow wet loose activity by mid-day.
  • Monday - A classic March storm, with snow totals ranging from 6-13" during the day. A particular highlight was Alta recording 7" of snow from noon - 1 pm. Jim Steenburgh has a nice write up of this phenomenon on his classic Wasatch Weather Weenies page. During the day Monday there were widespread sensitive storm snow instabilities, including a natural cycle during the height of precipitation intensity.
  • Tuesday - A transition day with wet slab activity, as well as sensitive wind slabs in the upper alpine regions, reported.
  • Wednesday - Warm and clear conditions signaled the return to loose wet activity, especially on steep southerly aspects.
  • Thursday- Back to unsettled weather as a modest storm entered the region, depositing 5-8" across the Salt Lake and Park City mountains by Friday morning.
Recent Avalanches

Yesterday afternoon as the snow became wet, there were many loose wet avalanches. Skiers triggered one notable loose wet slide around 3 p.m. in upper Little Cottonwood that ran 600 feet and created debris 4-5 feet deep. Other loose wet slides occurred on Little Superior, Big Cottonwood Canyon and the Park City Ridgeline.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Most slopes should have an ice crust on them this morning which will melt quickly this morning. After this happens, loose wet avalanches should start occurring.

Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

There isn't much snow for this morning's strong NE winds to transport, but they will likely form a few fresh wind slabs worth watching for today at the highest elevations.

Additional Information

Today will have sunny skies and temperatures rising into the upper 30's and low 40's F. By mid morning winds should ease and turn more northerly averaging 5-15 mph. More clouds should arrive Sunday afternoon bringing cooler temperatures and a chance for more snow but no major accumulations.

General Announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out 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 request 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.

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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 occur
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