In partnership with: The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Public Safety
Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, and Utah
State Parks
To have this advisory automatically e-mailed to you each day free of charge, click HERE.
Good morning, this is Drew Hardesty with the
Current Conditions:
The storm is on our doorstep, and as of 5:30am, it’s just beginning to snow. With current temperatures at most mountain locations in the 30’s, we’ll be starting with a rain/snow line at 7000’ that will drop to the valleys by afternoon. Winds are still strong, averaging 25-30mph from the southwest, gusting into the 50’s. This looks to be a classic Wasatch storm with all the ingredients lined up for some epic snowfall: lots of moisture, an unstable airmass, a strong cold front, and a shift to a northwest flow after the front, with the lake effect kicking in.
Avalanche Conditions:
This
morning the danger will be low, but as the snow starts piling up, the hazard
will certainly be on the rise. As
always, it’s important to get out before the storm to map out what the new snow
will be falling on, as this could have a significant effect upon avalanche
conditions. In our forecast areas, the
snow will be falling on a variety of snow surfaces, ranging from bulletproof windslabs and suncrusts to softer
surfaces with yesterday’s inch or so on top.
On the southerly aspects at higher elevations, avalanches are likely to
run fast and far, entraining lots of snow on the slick crusts formed in the
past week. With strong southwest winds
accompanying this morning’s snowfall, be alert for sensitive wind drifts along
the lee of the ridgelines and as always avoid any fresh deposits of wind blown
snow. As a last reminder, many folks
have been caught on days when the avalanche danger increased over the course of
the day. ALWAYS BE ALERT FOR CHANGING
CONDITIONS. It’s not enough to make an
assessment at the beginning of your tour and then not adjust as conditions
warrant.
Bottom Line (
The avalanche danger is LOW this morning, but will be on the rise to perhaps CONSIDERABLE
with the new snow and strong winds. The
hazard will be most pronounced at the upper elevations today.
Mountain Weather:
We may see as much as a foot of new snow today, with another foot or so
tonight. Residual instability and the
lake effect will likely keep the snow falling tomorrow as well. Strong southwest winds will be 20-30mph this
morning, shifting to the west by afternoon and dropping to 15-20mph. Temperatures will drop into the 20’s with the
arrival of the cold front by midday. A
ridge will develop Tuesday behind this storm with the possibility of more snow
for Wednesday.
3-Day Table |
3-Day Graph |
7-Day Table |
For specific digital forecasts for selected mountain areas from the
National Weather Service, click the links below or choose your own specific
location at the National
Weather Service Digital Forecast Page:
General
Information:
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
Friends of the
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 on Monday morning.
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:
http://www.avalanche.org/usdanger.htm