Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Provo Area Mountains Issued by Drew Hardesty for Wednesday - March 28, 2018 - 7:48am
bottom line

Many areas continue to have an overall LOW avalanche danger. A MODERATE danger now exists for new and developing wind drifts primarily in steep north through east through south facing slopes above about 9000'. Watch for cross-loading onto other aspects and around other terrain features. A MODERATE danger still exists for triggering a deep slab avalanche 2-4' deep in the highest elevations.

The smart money today heads for lower angle wind and sun sheltered terrain. Remember that slide for life conditions exist in steep terrain.
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current conditions

Skies are mostly cloudy with temps in the upper 20s to low 30s. Winds are from the northwest, blowing 15-20 with gusts to 30. I was down in the Provo mountains on Saturday and my report is below. Slide for life conditions exist on steep terrain.

03/24/2018 Observation: UFO Bowls Provo region Hardesty, Wilson
recent activity

No new avalanches were reported yesterday.

Recent Provo avalanche observations:

03/23/2018 Avalanche: Slide Canyon Provo region Woody

03/22/2018 Avalanche: Cascade Cirque Provo region Woody
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

Isolated Areas of Wind Slab. The light, cold, dry snow will move readily with the moderate to strong west to northwest winds and - perhaps being drifted on a collapsible and weak snow surface - may be surprisingly sensitive. Some wind drifts may be triggered from a distance. The drifts will be more prominent along the higher, more exposed north through east through south facing slopes but watch for cross-loading around terrain features on other aspects.
Avalanche Problem 3
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

At upper elevations it is still possible to trigger an avalanche breaking on a deeper weak facet layer. Slopes with a shallower snow pack are most suspect – including those that have slid one or more times this year or are steep and rocky. It’s a low probability of triggering a slide, but high consequences if you do.

The snowpack in the Provo area mountains is much weaker than it is just a little further north. Friday's avalanche triggered by UDOT is a red flag that large avalanches are still possible.

Wind slab? Deep slab? Drew Hardesty photo of natural avalanche with wide propagation below Cascade Cirque ridgeline
weather

With the warm front, we can expect overcast becoming mostly cloudy skies today. Mountain temps will rise to the mid-30s at the mid-elevations. The west to northwest winds are expected to blow 30-40mph with gusts to 50+. Clouds should start to thin out in the valleys but hang around in the mountains...and then become partly cloudy for the next few days.
general announcements

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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.