Provo Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Evelyn Lees

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center will be teaching several introductory avalanche classes this winter called Backcountry 101. The first is coming up – an evening lecture on Thursday, Dec 16th, followed by a field day Saturday, December 18th. Sign-ups are at the Black Diamond retail store.

Announcing an online auction for a pair of Black Diamond Drift skis with custom Avy Center graphics. Your choice of 176 or 186 cm. Go to ebay and search for item 320624812251. These were custom built for the FUAC & all proceeds go to forecasting & education in Utah!

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 generally LEVEL 1 (Low), with pockets of LEVEL 2 (Moderate) for two different avalanche concerns. First, wet loose sluffs could occur on steep slopes anywhere the snow becomes damp with daytime heating, and snow will continue to slide off roofs today. Second, there are isolated wind drifts that could be triggered by a person on steep slopes, most likely along higher elevation ridge lines.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

It’s another warm morning, with mostly clear skies and temperatures generally in the mid to upper 20’s, though there is a band of mid elevation terrain in the Park City and Ogden area mountains that’s still hanging on to the mid 30’s. The southwesterly winds are in the 10 to 15 mph range, gusting to 25 mph across the highest peaks. 24 hours snow is a trace to 2".

Between wind, warmth and sun, it will take a bit of work to find the powder stashes today. Northerly facing, wind sheltered slopes at mid and higher elevations have the driest and softest snow. All the low elevation and the sunny slopes will be crusted early, and become damp as the day goes on.

RECENT ACTIVITY

The only avalanche activity reported yesterday was sun and heat related - roller balls and small wet loose point releases, especially on easterly facing slopes and at the lower elevations. Explosive control work along the Park City ridgeline was unable to pry out any slab avalanches.

THREAT #1
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 10 hours.

With another day of warm temperatures and sun ahead, more wet loose sluffs and roof-a-lanches will occur. Avoid steep slopes as the snow becomes damp, and especially avoid terrain traps such as creek bottoms and gullies, where even a smaller sluff can pile the snow up deeply. Most sensitive may be slopes that are warming for the first time, including the mid elevation shady and slopes that were trapped in the clouds yesterday and are getting sun for the first time today. These damp slides could affect the ice climbs in both Provo Canyon and Little Cottonwood. Cornices maybe more sensitive, and could break back further than expected.

THREAT #2
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

There are still some hard wind drifts on mid and upper elevation slopes that could be triggered. Shallow snowpack areas, hanging snowfields above cliff bands and rocky steep slopes are more suspect. With strong winds from so many different directions over the past week, watch out for drifts on many different aspects and elevations.

Continue to dig down to the ground everywhere – with a lack of snow in the forecast and a still shallow early season snowpack, we need to keep track of the near ground facets and rime layers.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

High pressure over northern Utah will bring mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures to the mountains today. Temperatures will warm into the upper 30’s at 8,000’ and to near 30 at 10,000’. The southwesterly winds will be light, in the 5 to 15 mph range, with gusts less than 30 mph even across the higher ridges. This high pressure will weaken tonight and Friday, as a weak weather disturbance races across northern Utah, with a few inches of snow possible, especially north of I-80. The southwesterly winds will increase tonight, gusting into the 30’s and 40’s. Occasional light snow is possible through the weekend, with the best chance for a few more inches on Monday.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following agencies 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 – Alta Central (801-742-2033)

Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)

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

We appreciate all your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email to uac@utahavalanchecenter.org

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.

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.