Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Brett Kobernik for Monday - December 9, 2013 - 7:23am
bottom line

A CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger remains on west through north through east facing slopes above 9500 feet that are 35 degrees or steeper. This means human triggered avalanches breaking into faceted snow are likely. There is a MODERATE danger for triggering a persistent slab in the 8000 to 9500 foot range meaning human triggered avalanches are possible. Watch for wind slabs on all aspects above 8000 feet.




current conditions

It was another very cold night last night with ridgetop temperatures below zero again. Westerly winds increased from yesterday's speeds by about 10mph overnight. A trace to an inch of snow fell overnight. The winds created some challenging conditions in the more exposed terrain yesterday but there is plenty of snow that's undisturbed in the sheltered and mid elevations.

recent activity

There was no avalanche activity reported from the Ogden area mountains over the weekend. There were quite a few avalanches reported in the Salt Lake region and with Ogden receiving more snow, I suspect lack of triggers is the reason we didn't hear about any avalanches.

Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Your biggest threat today is a slab avalanche that breaks into faceted snow. This is most pronounced above 9000 feet on west through north through east facing slopes. Avalanches can be triggered from a distance (remotely) so watch what's above you.

Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Westerly winds predominantly load east facing slopes but it seems wind slabs form on all aspects due to local variations in wind direction as well as cross loading. The wind slabs can fail within the most recent snow layering as well as enhancing the chance of something breaking into faceted snow.

weather

Warmer weather is on it's way but today is going to remain cold again with highs in the upper single digits. Skies should start to clear out as the day progresses. Westerly winds look perhaps a little gusty again today. Temperatures will be into the upper teens on Tuesday and warmer as the week goes on. No storms are in the near future.

general announcements

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.

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), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)

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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, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.