Ogden Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Brett Kobernik

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The Avalanche Danger Scale is being revised for next winter. Our friends up in Canada have created a short survey found at the following link. Please help ensure the new Avalanche Danger Scale is effective by completing a survey. http://surveys.globalepanel.com/wix/p319164581.aspx


BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger is mostly LOW today with pockets of MODERATE for fresh wind slabs. You’ll find these mainly along the upper elevation north through east facing slopes. The danger will rise to MODERATE for wet activity today as well on east through south through west facing slopes at all elevations and possibly northerly facing slopes at the lower elevations.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

Winds increased by about 10 mph since mid day on Saturday and are averaging 10 to 20 mph along the ridges gusting to around 30 from the west. Temperatures dropped off into the mid teens overnight.


RECENT ACTIVITY

Lots of people reported avalanche activity on Saturday but none of it posed a real great threat. Cold dry sluffs could be initiated which would run a pretty good distance given the chance. There were a few scattered shallow wind slabs that people triggered but hardly big enough to knock a person over. Folks initiated some wet activity as well which would pile up big enough debris piles to push you around but you’d have to try pretty hard to get caught in one. (Photo Gallery 1, Photo Gallery 2)


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

With the slight increase in wind, fresh drifts may be more widespread today. People with some backcountry experience should be able to recognize these if they are present. Slope cuts should be an effective tool to mitigate these.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 8 hours.

We’ll also need to watch for wet activity again today. Temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees warmer today then Saturday which should make the sunny slopes wet enough again to initiate wet sluffs and push-a-lanches. Low elevation northerly facing slopes may also heat up enough to produce some activity.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We’ll see partly cloudy skies with increasing clouds this afternoon. Winds should continue as they are now averaging 10 to 20 mph along the ridges gusting to around 30. Speeds may increase a bit more later today. Temperatures will get into the mid 30s at 8000 feet and upper 20s along the ridges. A fairly decent looking cold storm is scheduled to move through on Monday which should give us another nice refresher.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wasatch Powderbird Guides were in Cardiff, Days, and Whitepine on Saturday. Today they’ll head for American Fork and possibly Cascade. Their operations planning page is here.

Beacon training parks are up and running! There is one at Snowbasin, one on the Park City side at the top of Canyon’s gondola toward the Tombstone lift, one in Little Cottonwood near the Snowbird parking structure on the bypass road, and in Big Cottonwood a training park is at the west end of Solitude's lower parking lot.

If you want to get this avalanche advisory e-mailed to you daily click HERE.

For a text only version, the link is on the left side bar, near the top.

UDOT highway avalanche control work info can be found by calling (801) 975-4838. Our statewide toll free line is 1-888-999-4019 (early morning, option 8).

The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work. To find out more about how you can support our efforts to continue providing the avalanche forecasting and education that you expect please visitour Friends page.

Your snow and avalanche observations can save someone’s life. Please let us know what you're seeing by leaving a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@utahavalanchecenter.org. (Fax 801-524-6301).

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.

I’ll be in to update this advisory by 7:30 tomorrow morning.


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.


This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.