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Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Salt Lake County,
and Utah State Parks
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Good morning, this is Tom
Kimbrough with the
Don’t
miss the Banff Mountain Film Festival at the U of U’s Kingsbury Hall on March
12 and 13, at
Current Conditions:
The expected cold front
arrived in the
Avalanche Conditions:
There
is an avalanche warning in effect for the northern
During
this rather dry winter our snowpack has developed numerous weak layers and
crusts that will exacerbate the effects of the current storm. The weak layers
are weakest and most widespread at mid and upper elevations on northerly facing
slopes that don’t get much sun.
Southerly facing slopes are crusted under the new snow and the crust
will provide a good sliding surface.
East and west facing slopes are in between with a variety of crusts and
weak layers. Wind crusts, slabs and old
bed surfaces also complicate the picture.
At least the recent warm temperatures strengthened the lower elevation
snowpack. Although yesterday’s new snow
bonded fairly well to the older crusts, layers of graupel in yesterday’s snow
will be a likely weak layer today. But
of more concern is that slides in the new snow may step down into deeper
layers, especially on northwest, north and east facing slopes. If you head into the backcountry today or
over the weekend, be conservative and defensive in your backcountry
travel. Watch for collapsing and
cracking in the new snow. Keep to lower
angle slopes. With these types of weak
layers, slopes may be remotely triggered so watch the angle of slopes above and
to your side. Carry beacons and
avalanche rescue gear and keep your party spread out.
This
morning we don’t yet have a good handle on which of the more remote areas
received significant new snow accumulations but some of the weakest underlying
snow is most widespread in the
Depending
on how much clearing there is this afternoon, some sunny slopes could have a
few wet slides as they heat up later today.
Bottom Line:
The danger of human triggered avalanches is HIGH today on all slopes
steeper than about 30 degrees, especially where wind drifted. Human triggered and natural avalanches are likely. Avoid steep backcountry slopes and avalanche
run-out areas. Avalanches in the new
snow may break into deeper layers, creating large and very dangerous slides.
(Provo Area
Mountains and Western Uinta Mountains)
These
areas have had a thin snowpack most of the winter and sugary weak snow is more
common than in the Cottonwood Canyons.
The danger of human triggered avalanches is more widespread in the Provo
and Western Uinta Mountains, especially where wind drifted.
(Ogden Area Mountains)
Same as above.
Mountain Weather:
This cold front is moving
fast and will exit northern
General Information:
The
Wasatch Powderbird Guides will not be flying today. For more information call 521-6040 ext. 5280.
To
report backcountry snow and avalanche conditions, especially if you observe or
trigger an avalanche, you can leave a message at (801) 524-5304 or
1-800-662-4140. Or you can e-mail an
observation to uacobs@avalanche .org, or you can fax
an observation to 801-524-6301.
For
more detailed mountain weather and avalanche information, your can call
801-364-1591, which we’ll try to have updated by around
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.
Evelyn
Lees will update this advisory by
Thanks for calling!
________________________________________________________________________
For
more detailed weather information go to our Mountain Weather Advisory
National
Weather Service - Salt Lake City - Snow.
For an explanation of
avalanche danger ratings: