7:30, Saturday March 8, 2008
Hello
and good morning, this is Toby Weed of the
Current Conditions: Northwest
winds posted average hourly wind speeds in the mid twenties for several hours
overnight, with gusts around 40 mph at the CSI Logan Peak weather station. With plenty of soft, transportable snow
about, you’d be forced to assume that a fair amount of drifting must have
occurred in exposed upper elevation terrain. A weak Pacific storm crossing the region as I write
will produce some snowfall this morning and keep snow showers going through the
day. It is snowing lightly in
Avalanche Conditions:
I have reports of a handful of small triggered
wind slab avalanches yesterday at upper elevations in the
There are a number of steep upper elevation
slopes and/or slopes exposed to significant wind drifting in the region where
you might trigger shallow wind slab avalanches.
And, there are probably a few where you might trigger larger and more
dangerous hard slabs running on one of a few possible persistent weak layers. The
danger is most likely to be found at upper elevations and on slopes facing the
eastern third of the compass. Watch for
and avoid obvious drifts or wind slabs on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees.
Remember that hard wind slabs can be
quite tricky, sometimes waiting until you get well out on them before
releasing. Clues may include chalky
looking or hollow sounding stiff snow, audible collapses, or shooting cracks. A few inches of new snow may now be obscuring
obvious signs.
Bottom Line: There’s a MODERATE danger and triggered
wind slab avalanches are possible on steep drifted slopes in the backcountry. You’re most likely to trigger freshly formed
or older wind slabs at upper elevations near ridge lines or in fetch areas and on
easterly facing slopes exposed to loading from northwest winds. There’s a LOW danger on most other sheltered
slopes. Use good snow assessment and
safe travel techniques to minimize your risks in the backcountry today.
Mountain
Weather: A weak Pacific storm will bring a little snow to the area this
morning, with snow showers lingering through the day. Tomorrow will be partly cloudy, and another
weak storm is likely early next week….
The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center in Logan is presenting an
Avalanche Fundamentals, Level 1 Class (Certification), starting March 14,
with field sessions on the 15th, and 22nd. Please register in advance with the Friends
via e-mail or for more information contact [email protected].
Check out
the images page for photos of some of
this season’s avalanches.
Go to
the Avalanche Encyclopedia if you have any questions about terms I use in the advisory.
I'm very interested to
know what you're seeing out there. Please e-mail observations to me
at [email protected] or leave me a message at 755-3638, especially if you see or
trigger an avalanche in the backcountry. We keep all observations confidential.
This advisory will
expire in 24 hours from the posting time.
The information in this advisory is from the
U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This
advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always
occur.