Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center

US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest               

Introduction:

Good Morning!  This is Max Forgensi with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory.  Today is Thursday, January 16th, 2004 at 7:30am.

 

Friday, January 16th at 7pm is the annual Free Avalanche Awareness Course at the Moab Information Center.

 

Click here for recent photos.  Click here for Snowpits.  You can always email us observations as well by clicking here, or sending a message to [email protected] or [email protected] .

 

General Conditions:

Is the inversion finally breaking up?  It appears that it is!  For the past two days, Moab has seen some sun in the afternoon, this morning expect areas of fog to diminish.  Currently it is 5 degrees in town with calm winds.  Up at the Geyser Pass Trailhead, it is 30.7 degrees out with 32.7” of snow on the ground.  In Gold Basin, there is 56” of snow on the ground.  Up at Pre-Laurel Peak it is currently 20 degrees out with winds out of the SSE at an average of 22 mph.  The road is in great shape and there is plenty of snow up in the mountains, another great day to go enjoy them. 

 

 Mountain Weather:

There is a weak wave that is coming in from the SW today, and the mountains could see some snow, although it appears that the storm is coming with very limited moisture.  The next big pattern change is forecasted for Sunday night/Monday morning which could finally flush the valley of stagnant air. 

Today:  Cloudy.  Moderate winds expected to continue.  Isolated snow showers changing to scattered snow showers in the afternoon.  Highs in the 30’s.

Tonight:  Mostly cloudy.  40% chance of snow showers.  Lows 10-20 degrees.

Friday:  Partly cloudy.  Highs in the 30’s.

 

Avalanche Conditions:

Not much is changing around here, well except for the size of our surface hoar crystals.  For the past few days, I have observed crystals up to 10,600’ in the 3-4cm range and up to 10 cm in size, which is pretty big.  This event is one we are going to want to particularly pay close attention to…will it be destroyed by the sun and wind or is it going to get buried?  Expect unsupportable sun crusts on southerly aspects and powder still prevailing on northerly aspects.  The past week has been good for settlement of the snow pack and bonding within the upper layers of the pack, although North aspects still have moderate shears in the upper part of the snow pack.  Check out each slope as you go, but remember that now is not the time when natural avalanches occur, it is the time when you trigger them.  Look at signs Mother Nature is giving you.  If there has been a slope that avalanched naturally that has the same aspect and elevation as a slope that you are looking at skiing, it should be viewed as a suspect slope.  That being said, the avalanche danger is MODERATE on slopes steeper than 35 degrees at or above treeline on NW-N-E aspects.  Otherwise the avalanche danger is LOW in the lower elevations and shallower slopes.  .

 

Nordic and Skate Skiing:

The Tag-a-Long snow cat has groomed up to the Beaver Lake Hut and traffic on the Geyser Pass Road means some good Nordic skiing-definitely a great option with the weather like this in town.  Warm snow temps during the day.