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 will be on the rise today but will most likely level out in the Level 2 (Moderate) category. However, it may reach Level 3 (Considerable) if we see a prolonged period of intense snowfall during the day. Natural new snow avalanches may be possible during this period.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

Snow started falling early this morning and an inch or so has accumulated as of 7am. Temperatures are in the 10 to 20 degree range. Winds have slowed overnight and are light from the south along the mid elevation ridges and are gusting to around 40 at the more exposed locations.

RECENT ACTIVITY

There was no significant avalanche activity reported from Saturday.

THREAT #1

WHERE

PROBABILITY

SIZE

TREND

Over the next 24 hours.

New snow will be your main concern for today. We will want to pay attention to how it interacts with the old snow surface as well as any weakness that may form within the new snow. The old snow surface was becoming loose during the cold temperatures Wednesday through Friday morning. On Saturday I noted that the surface was not as loose as on Friday due to warmer temperatures changing the grains as well as wind helping do away with the surface hoar. So, the old snow surface shouldn't pose many problems with a new load. It will mainly be a function of what happens within the new snow. Handpits, shovel tilt and slope cuts are very effective at diagnosing new snow instabilities. During any periods of intense snowfall watch for natural activity as things can quickly become unstable.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We’ll see snow for most of the day today. 6 inches or better is possible. Winds will shift from the south to the northwest later this morning and gradually increase this afternoon getting a bit gusty by this evening. Temperatures will climb a bit but will drop back off as a cold front moves through this afternoon and snow showers should continue into tonight. We should see .5 to 1 inch of water by the time it’s done which should be a 8 to 14 inch snow event. Temperatures will drop into the single digits tonight.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please contact Alta Central (801-742-2033) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area - 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.

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale at discounted prices.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flight plan.

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30: 888-999-4019 option 8.

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

Free UAC iPhone app from Canyon Sports.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

You can participate in the creation of your own avalanche advisory by submitting your avalanche and snow observations. Or, you can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140. For general email click Contact in the above menu.

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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.

We will update this forecast tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling.

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.