Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Evelyn Lees for Monday - March 27, 2017 - 7:11am
bottom line

The avalanche danger will increase to MODERATE on steep mid and upper elevation slopes of all aspects as the snow adds up today. The slick sun crusts will act as good bed surfaces, and slides may be long running. Wet loose sluffs can still be triggered with effort on low and mid elevation slopes as the snow slowly cools.

Continue to avoid travel below the large cornices and opening glide cracks




special announcement

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current conditions

The next storm is on the doorstep, and skies are partly cloudy in the Ogden area mountains as of 7 am. Temperatures range from the mid 20s to low 30s, and the southwesterly winds are light, averaging 10 to 15 mph. The highest peaks have had averages to 25 mph, with gusts to 35, overnight.

recent activity

Increasing clouds in the Ogden area mountains yesterday kept the snow cool, and any wet loose sluffs to a minimum - needing to be "pushed" to get the snow moving.

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

The avalanche danger will increase today and tonight as the new snow adds up, especially on wind drifted slopes. Sunday's sun crust will now act as the latest slick bed surface on most mid and upper elevation aspects. With the new snow bonding poorly to the icy crusts, slides will run further and faster than expected, entraining snow and having deeper than normal debris piles.

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

Wet Loose: While the snowpack slowly cools, it still may be possible to trigger a few wet loose sluffs today or have a slide gouge into the old wet snow, mostly at the mid and lower elevations.

Cornices and Glide cracks: Avoidance is key for both of these. Minimize any travel beneath them, and be aware they can run long distances if they fail. With cornices, also stay well back from their edges as you travel along ridge lines. They tend to break back much further than expected, onto what looks like flat terrain.

weather

An energetic spring storm will bring a nice shot of snow today and tonight. Several inches of snow will fall on a southwesterly flow this morning, with frontal passage around noon. There’s a 15% a chance for lightning today, andslightly heavier snow is possible this afternoon. 3 to 5” of snow is possible today, with another 2 to 4” tonight in the Ogden area mountains. This morning’s light southwesterly winds will increase when they shift to the northwest around noon, with 20 mph averages at the mid elevations, and the high ridgelines averaging 25 mph, gusting to 40 mph. The rain/snow line will drop to around 6,500’ this afternoon, and 5,000’ tonight.

general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

To get help in an emergency (to request a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911. Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

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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