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Cache National Forest
In partnership with: The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, Utah Department of
Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Salt Lake County,
and Utah State Parks
The
Utah Avalanche Center
Home page is: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/
Avalanche advisory
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Good Morning. This is Tom Kimbrough with the
Current Conditions:
We’re still doing mid-day
updates but may shift back to
Avalanche Conditions:
The past four weeks of almost
completely dry weather has melted the snow off south facing slopes and
seriously weakened the snow surface on many other slopes. The weakest surface conditions are above
9,000 feet on northwest, north and northeast facing slopes. I can’t remember seeing as well developed
surface hoar on as many slopes as there is out there at this time. East and west facing slopes that still have
snow also have plenty of these big crystals, often on top of crusts of varying thickness. Sometimes strong pre-storm winds break up
surface hoar deposits but I am afraid that the layer may be too well developed
and too widespread for the forecasted winds to make a big difference. If we only get a couple of inches of new snow
tonight, that weak layer will be disguised and protected, potentially setting
us up for a nasty round of avalanches when a major storm arrives.
Bottom Line (SLC,
The avalanche danger remains LOW today, but will rise tonight and Wednesday if this
approaching storm gives us several inches of new snow.
Avalanche Tip of the Day:
Get out into the mountains
during the early hours of an approaching storm to see how the new snow is
bonding to the pre-existing snow surface on different aspects.
Mountain Weather:
A welcome weather change is
hopefully on schedule. A preliminary cold
front has already dropped the temperatures by about 10 degrees on the ridge tops
this morning. Clouds will increase today
above the valley inversions. Mountain temperatures
will get into the low to mid thirties. Ridge
top winds will be 10 to 20 mph from the southwest, shifting westerly. There is a slight chance of a trace to an
inch of new snow today.
The next impulse should
arrive tonight, producing snow showers continuing into Wednesday. Low end estimates for storm totals are about
1 to 3 inches with around 3 to 6 possible.
This system should have enough energy and cold air to blow out the
valley inversions by Thursday morning.
Clear weather returns for Thursday and Friday before another, and
stronger storm, (keep your fingers crossed) approaches on Saturday.
General Information:
Bruce Tremper will be giving
an avalanche talk at REI this Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 pm,
titled “The Science of Avalanches.” It
is a more advanced talk than our usual avalanche awareness lectures. He is also giving an avalanche talk for the
Wasa
If you’re planning on buying
an avalanche rescue beacon for someone you love this Christmas, check out the
recent tests of various brands of avalanche beacons on the web. Point your browser to www.avalanche.org and click on Salt Lake,
then on Education. At the same location,
you can find a complete list of avalanche talks and multi-day classes.
To report backcountry snow
and avalanche conditions, especially if you observe or trigger an avalanche,
call (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email to [email protected] or fax to
801-524-6301. 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 on Wednesday.
Thanks for calling!
________________________________________________________________________
National
Weather Service - Salt Lake City - Snow.
For an explanation of
avalanche danger ratings: