Provo Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Brett Kobernik

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 this morning. The danger will be on the rise for wet activity and will probably reach MODERATE as the day progresses with some natural activity possible. Watch for snow becoming damp on all aspects at the low and mid elevations. If you’re heading for the higher terrain, watch for minor fresh drifting that may occur during the day.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

People continue to find good riding conditions despite the fact that we don’t have in your face powder right now. Things may change by today with warm temperatures expected. Winds have increased over the last 6 hours which isn’t saying much with yesterday’s almost dead calm conditions. We’re seeing some gusts in the 20s along the upper ridges and 30s at the most exposed locations from a southerly direction. Speeds are still slow at the mid and lower elevations. Temperatures have also increased 5 to 10 degrees over the last 6 hours with most stations into the low to mid 30s up to around 10,000 feet.


RECENT ACTIVITY

There was some minor wet activity on Saturday mainly in the form of small rollerballs. People could also initiate some wet sluffing and “push-a-lanches” on steep slopes where the newest snow was heated by the sun. All the activity was on slopes approaching 40 degrees. (Push-a-lanche video. Credit: Dave Budge)


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Our main focus today is wet activity due to warming temperatures. This will involve the few inches of snow that fell Friday morning which won’t make them very deep when the initiate but could pack a punch once they run a fair distance. Yesterday’s wet activity was mainly relegated to sunny slopes. Today I’d expect things to get damp on all aspects at the lower elevations. In fact, you may have to get fairly high in elevation to escape the heat damage today.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

A secondary minor concern will be some drifting that may occur with the slight increase in wind speeds. This seems hardly worth mentioning with not much snow available for transport but with many people heading to the higher elevations, it’s worth keeping in mind.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

As the ridge shifts to our east we’ll get into a southerly flow with mild temperatures and moderate wind speeds. Moisture is being fed into our area in the form of clouds which we’ll see today. Temperatures will get into the mid to upper 40s at 8000 feet and mid 30s along the ridges. Southerly ridgetop winds will continue to gust into the 20s and 30s and may increase a bit as the day goes on. The best chance for snow accumulation looks like mid week with colder temperatures.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our web page is now mobile-friendly for users of iPhone and iPod Touch.

Yesterday, Wasatch Powderbird Guides skied in Cardiff, Days, Mineral, Grizzly and Cascade and most likely won’t fly today due to weather. 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).

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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.


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.