Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Provo Area Mountains Issued by Evelyn Lees for Thursday - November 21, 2013 - 7:37am
bottom line

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on many steep, upper elevation slopes. The focus is on 2 different avalanche problems - the fresh drifts of wind blown snow, which will be most widespread on the westerly facing slopes, and the weak faceted snow near the ground, mostly found on northerly facing slopes. MODERATE means human triggered avalanches are possible today, most likely on upper elevation westerly thorough northerly facing slopes.
current conditions

It was a lackluster "storm" - the cold front that slid through overnight dropped one to 3 inches of snow on average, and cooled the warm overnight temperatures down into the low 30s to mid 20s. The lower elevations of the Provo mountains have been getting a mix of snow and rain. Currently, the winds are almost calm as they are in the process of shifting to the east. On the plus side, over the past few days, all these dribbles of snow have added up to 4 to 6 inches at the higher elevations, freshening up the snow surface. The snow pack is still quite shallow though, less than a foot in many locations, making travel in the Provo area mountains difficult, and hitting rocks or stumps is a significant hazard.

recent activity

No new avalanche activity reported from the backcountry.
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

Weak snow near the ground persists on northerly facing slopes, and human triggered slides are still possible in some terrain. Avalanches up to 2 feet deep could be triggered by a person on those steep, shady slopes at the upper elevations, especially on slopes with new or old wind drifts. This profile is from the Salt Lake mountains, but probably comparable to the snowpack of the Provo area mountains above about 10,000'.
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

The winds are in the processes of shifting to an unusual direction - from the due east – and will increase throughout the day, with the strongest winds expected overnight. They could start to blow and drift snow along the highest ridge lines by as early as noon, first north of I-80, then to the south. So watch for fresh snow drifts in unfamiliar places in the highest terrain - on the more westerly facing slopes - and avoid all steep, wind drifted slopes.

weather

The mountains may be able to squeeze out a little more light snow today, a few inches max, with the focus north of I-80. It's the winds that will become interesting later - shifting to northeast, then due east and starting to increase by noon. 25 to 30 mph averages are expected across the higher terrain by mid day through tonight. Temperatures will remain in the 20s today, then cool into the teens tonight. Then an unwelcome ridge of high pressure builds in, with dry conditions and slightly warmer temperatures for the northern mountains through at least the weekend.
general announcements

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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