Wasatch 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

: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/

Avalanche advisory

SATURDAY. November 8, 2003 7:30 am

Good morning, this is Evelyn Lees with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory. Today is Saturday, November 08, 2003, and it’s 7:00 a.m. UDOT will be sighting in and test firing the Howitzer into Stairs Gulch in Big Cottonwood Canyon this afternoon. We’re talking big charges here, so you definitely want to avoid the Stairs Gulch area from noon to 3 pm.

Current Conditions:

Skies are mostly cloudy this morning, and temperatures have moderated into the low to mid 20’s. The southwesterly winds remained light over the last 24 hours, generally in the 5 to 15 mph range with an occasional higher gust along the ridge crests. Turning conditions continue to be excellent in recrystalized powder on most shady slopes above about 8500’, with north and northeasterly facing slopes the best. The sunny slopes and lower elevations are well crusted. With total snow depths averaging only about 2’, clipping a few rocks is almost a guarantee. So areas underlain by grassy slopes are the best choice for turns, and snow machiners will want to stay on roads or smooth trails.

Avalanche Conditions:

Our shallow snow pack is currently stable, but weakening. The “loud powder” on shady slopes makes for great turns, but indicates the surface snow is now a mix of facets and surface hoar. On some steep slopes, this weak surface snow is sluffing. While these sluffs are not large enough to bury a person, they could knock you off your feet. Even a short ride could have you hitting the shallowly buried rocks. Winds should remain light through out the day. But if they do pick up, shallow, soft wind drifts will develop in the more exposed areas and could be triggered on steep slopes.

Bottom Line:

The avalanche danger is LOW today. However, if you’re traveling on steep slopes, expect a few loose snow sluffs and avoid any fresh drifts of wind blown snow.

Mountain Weather:

Well, it seems that somebody has hit the pause button on winter. An upper level low has settled in along the northern California coast, and the disturbances being ejected out of this low are typically very weak by the time they reach Utah. Today, skies will be mostly cloudy, with a few isolated snow showers possible this morning. It will be warmer, with highs today in the mid 30’s at 8000’ and near 30 at 10,000’. The southwesterly ridge top winds will remain in the 5 to 15 mph range. Skies will be mostly cloudy tonight, with a few scattered snow showers possible. The southwesterly winds will increase into the 20 to 25 mph range. Lows will be in the mid to upper 20’s. Sunday through Monday will be mostly cloudy, with scattered snow showers.

General Information:

Today is the annual ski swap at REI put on by the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The swap opens at 9:00 am.

If you are getting into the backcountry, please give us a call and let us know what you’re seeing, especially if you trigger an avalanche. You can leave a message at 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140. Or you can e-mail an observation to uac@avalanche .org, or you can fax an observation 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.

Drew will update this advisory Sunday morning.

Thanks for calling!

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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:

http://www.avalanche.org/usdanger.htm