Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Provo Area Mountains Issued by Evelyn Lees for Saturday - February 24, 2018 - 7:45am
bottom line

It is a day of increasing avalanche danger. The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE this morning on most upper elevation slopes, especially those that are wind drifted. All other steep, mid elevation and upper elevations slopes have a MODERATE danger. Both wind drifts and deeper avalanches can be triggered on steep slopes. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully. The avalanche danger will continue to rise late this afternoon or overnight with stronger winds and more snow in the forecast.




special announcement

We have discount lift tickets for Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Snowbasin, and Beaver Mountain. Details and order information here. All proceeds from these go towards paying for avalanche forecasting and education!

current conditions

The Provo area mountains received up to 20" of snow this week - a welcome addition to winter.

You may catch a glimpse of sun this morning before skies cloud up again ahead of tonight’s storm. Temperatures are in the single digits at most stations this morning, and will struggle to crawl into the teens today. The westerly winds are stronger than I would like - while the mid elevations have 10 to 15 mph averages, to the north at 11,000’, speeds are averaging 35 mph, with gusts in the 40s, probably similar to what's going on at the high elevations of Timp and Cascade ridge line.

Although Salt Lake-centric, be sure to check our Week in Review as you make your weekend plans:


recent activity

No avalanche activity reported from the Provo mountains on Friday, though lots of good observations this past week.

02/22/2018 Observation: Bobs Knob Provo region Woody

02/21/2018 Avalanche: Provo Provo region Andrew Bentz

02/19/2018 Avalanche: Big Springs Provo region Sterling Archer

02/19/2018 Avalanche: Big Springs Provo region Sterling Archer

02/17/2018 Observation: Provo Avalanche Cycle Provo region UDOT Provo Woody

02/16/2018 Avalanche: Cascade Ridge Provo region Sterling archer

Photo below from Andrew Bentz observation shows a persistent slab avalanche from early this week:

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 winds are a bit of a spoiler today – wind speeds are strong enough to drift the low-density snow and expected to continue at the current speeds. The new wind drifts or wind slabs will cracky and easy to trigger, forming along the mid and higher elevation ridge lines. Avoid any steep slopes with wind drifts, and be aware that the drifts will become more widespread and deeper as the day progresses.

Cornices will also be forming along the mid and upper elevation ridge lines. They often break back further than expected, so give them a wide berth and avoid travel below them.

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

As we continue to add more snow, including wind drifts, onto steep slopes, we could overload the some of the weak facet layers in the snowpack. Slides would most likely break on a mid-pack faceted weak layer, but isolated slides could break to the ground in shallow snowpack areas, including slopes that have slid one or more times this year. Any smaller triggered slide – including wind slabs – has the potential to step down to the deeper weak layers. Cracking and collapsing are bulls-eye clues to instability, but these clues may not be present.

An excellent observation from Thursday highlights the overall weak snowpack structure found throughout the Provo mountains.

The poor structure in shallower snow pack areas is disconcerting. Trent’s video from 8,000' on a north facing slope in Broads Fork. While in the Salt Lake mountains, it highlights the shallow snowpack issue.

weather

Enjoy this morning’s break, as another storm is rapidly approaching. Any sunny skies will become cloudy by this afternoon, with light snow starting by around sunset. Temperatures will warm into the teens today, and then drop back down into the single digits tonight. The winds will remain from the west to northwest, increasing this afternoon and tonight. They will average 20 to 25 mph at the mid elevations today, with average speeds to 35 mph across the highest peaks. Tonight’s storm should bring another 4 to 8” of light Utah powder by noon on Sunday.

general announcements

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

The UAC has new support programs with Outdoor Research and Darn Tough. Support the UAC through your daily shopping. When you shop at Smith's, or online at Outdoor Research, REI, Backcountry.com, Darn Tough, Patagonia, NRS, Amazon, eBay a portion of your purchase will be donated to the FUAC. See our Donate Page for more details on how you can support the UAC when you shop.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on eBay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your eBay account here and click on eBay gives when you buy or sell. You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny

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.