Wasatch Cache National Forest

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

 

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

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Avalanche advisory

Tuesday, DECEMBER 16, 2003   7:30 am

 

Good morning, this is Andrew McLean with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather advisory.  Today is Tuesday, December 16th 2003, and it’s 7:30 a.m. 

 

We’re giving two free avalanche awareness talks this week – one this evening at the Salt Lake REI and the second on Thursday, the 18th, at the Sandy REI.  Both start at 7pm.

 

The Provo Department of Transportation will be sighting in their howitzers this morning between 10:00am and 1:00pm.  The Provo canyon will be closed for ice climbing and fishing during that time and you can expect 15 minute delays.  Listen for updates on the AM radio band on the 530 frequency.

 

Current Conditions:

There’s a plethora of turning and riding conditions today, most of them ranging from good to incredible. With 8 – 12” of sub 7% blower powder above 7,000’, you can’t go wrong.  The trailbreaking can be heartbreaking though, with lots of fresh snow to move out of the way, but the harder it is going up, the better it will be going down.  After occasional flurries yesterday, it looks like the storm has played itself out and today we are in for some clear weather, warming temperatures and light winds. 

 

Avalanche Conditions:

Overnight temperatures in the negative digits, as well as yesterday’s scattered clouds, have not only preserved the snow quality, but even improved it.  Instead of consolidating into a slab, the upper snowpack has undergone diurnal recrystallization, which makes if feel like it is drying out and becoming even lighter.  However, test pits are showing results firmly in the ambiguous gray zone, with easy sheers on the buried brown crust that resulted from the desert sand being blown up here a few days ago. The avalanche danger will vary directly with elevation and how much windloading the slope has received in the last 48 hours.  As has been the case for most of this season, the higher elevation, wind exposed areas have compounded loading, whereas the lower elevation wind sheltered areas do not. For more detailed and early morning information on yesterday’s avalanche activity, call (801) 364-1591.

 

Bottom Line (Salt Lake and Park City mountains):

In isolated high, steep, wind exposed areas, the avalanche danger will be CONSIDERABLE.  On mid elevation slopes steeper than 35 degrees it will be MODERATE, and on all other aspects and elevations, it is LOW.

 

Ogden and Provo area mountains: The danger is MODERATE on upper elevation slopes steeper than 35 degrees and LOW on non wind affected areas.  

 

Click here for a photo of a small human triggered slide in the Provo area mountains on 12/15/03.

 

Mountain Weather:

Today looks like a great day to get out in the mountains, with the 8,000’ temperatures expected to be just below 30 degrees and mostly clear, sunny skies.  The winds will be light from the N/NW and becoming more westerly late in the day.  A high pressure system is building over the area today with a minor trough moving into the region tonight and Wednesday.  There is a slight chance that this fast moving system will produce some precipitation in northern Utah tomorrow, but the next significant snow doesn’t look like it will be here for another five days.

 

3-Day Table

3-Day Graph

7-Day Table

Ogden Mountains

Ogden Mountains

Ogden Mountains

SLC Mountains

SLC Mountains

SLC Mountains

Provo Mountains

Provo Mountains

Provo Mountains

 

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:

The Wasatch Powderbird Guides will be starting up their operations today and plan on flying in the Sliver Fork, Days Fork and Cardiff Fork areas.

 

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 Utah Avalanche Center is offering two 3-day avalanche workshops which are being held January 17-19 and February 14-16.  Information and sign-up sheets are available at the Black Diamond store (2092 E. 3900 S.; 278-0233).

 

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. 

 

Bruce Tremper will update this advisory on Wednesday 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