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Good Morning. This is Ethan Greene with the
Current Conditions:
Last night the skies were
clear and temperatures dipped into the low 20s at 5,000, 8,000, and 10,000. The winds have been from the west and
northwest in the 20 mph range along the highest ridgelines and in the 10 mph
range at mid-elevation levels.
The snow surface is a mix of
wind slabs and sun crusts, but you can still find some soft recrystalized snow
in sheltered areas.
Avalanche Conditions:
Over the last week we have
had fairly mild temperatures, a little bit of snow, and plenty of wind. This weather pattern has allowed the snowpack
to stabilize, and in many locations you have a better chance of hitting a buried
rock or log than triggering an avalanche.
Unfortunately our shallow
snowpack is also quite weak, and the same loose sugary snow that allows you to
sink to the ground low in the drainage is buried under harder layers higher up. Last week strong winds formed very hard slabs
on top of this weak snow, and these wind slabs are our biggest avalanche
concern today. Wind slabs have a smooth appearance
and sound hollow as you move across them.
You probably have to be on a fairly steep slope to trigger one, but since
they are made of very dense snow they can be quite dangerous. Yesterday a group in Red Pine was able to
trigger two of these slabs on small slopes.
Since their active stability tests produced avalanches on test slopes,
they decided to avoid the bigger slabs higher in the drainage.
Bottom Line (SLC,
There is a MODERATE avalanche danger
of triggering a wind slab on any steep wind loaded slope. Look out for these slabs on the sides of
gullies and subridges as well as major terrain
features. There is also still a MODERATE danger of
triggering a deep slab avalanche on northwest, north, and northeast facing
slopes above 8,500 that are about 40 degrees and steeper. On slopes less than about 35 degrees in steepness
the avalanche danger is generally LOW.
Mountain Weather:
High pressure over the
western
General Information:
Wasa
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.
I will update this advisory by
Thanks for calling!
________________________________________________________________________
National
Weather Service - Salt Lake City - Snow.
For an explanation of avalanche
danger ratings: