Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains | Issued by Evelyn Lees for November 16, 2012 - 5:39am |
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Above 8,500 ft.
7,000-8,500 ft.
Below 7,000 ft.
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bottom line Avoid: Steep, upper elevation northwest, north and northeasterly facing slopes. The avalanche danger is MODERATE on these slopes – dangerous avalanches breaking to the ground can be triggered on isolated slopes. Getting caught would result in a rough and rocky ride, with a burial possible. Low Avalanche Danger: on the sunny slopes facing southeast through west, and on the lower angle shady slopes.
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current conditions Under partly cloudy skies, temperatures have been warming overnight, and are currently in the low to mid 30s, with even a scattering of 40s at the mid elevations. The southwesterly winds are in the 10 to 20 mph range. Rocks and crusts abound on the southerly facing slopes, where the snow is rapidly settling and melting, though the crusts soften each day as it warms. Loose soft powder remains on supportable, northerly facing slopes. Total depths of 1 to 3 feet make roads and grassy slopes and meadows the best places to play. |
recent activity No new avalanche activity was reported from the backcountry yesterday, probably due in part to far fewer people out and about. |
type | aspect/elevation | characteristics |
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Above 8,500 ft.
7,000-8,500 ft.
Below 7,000 ft.
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description
The number one avalanche concern remains the possibility of triggering a slide on the loose, sugary snow on the ground. While the chances of triggering a slide are diminishing as the snowpack becomes more stubborn, the result would be the same as last weekend – a slide breaking to the ground. Any collapsing, or whumphing noises, are a huge warning sign that you are in an area with this old snow weak layer and need to avoid steep slopes. |
type | aspect/elevation | characteristics |
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Above 8,500 ft.
7,000-8,500 ft.
Below 7,000 ft.
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description
The winds may get just strong enough today across the highest ridges to form shallow snow drifts. These drifts will be built on weak snow on the shady slopes, and be easy to trigger. |
weather A mild, southwesterly flow will be over northern Utah through the weekend. Weak imbedded disturbances will produce a few flurries tonight and at times through the weekend, with the best chance for a few inches of snow and slightly cooler temperatures Sunday night into Monday. Today, increasing clouds, with a few snow showers late in afternoon and tonight. The southwesterly winds will generally average less than 20 mph, with speeds picking up across the highest peaks into the 20 to 30 mph range, gusting to 40. Temperatures will warm into the upper 30s to mid 40s, before dropping below freezing tonight. |
general annoucements If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams 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. Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033) Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017) Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150) Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30: 888-999-4019 option 8. Twitter Updates for your mobile phone Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening. Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE. UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838 Wasatch Powderbird Guides does daily updates about where they'll be operating on this blog http://powderbird.blogspot.com/ . Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email by clicking HERE Donate to your favorite non-profit –The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work. We will update this forecast tomorrow. Thanks for calling. |