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/
To have this advisory automatically e-mailed to you each day free of charge, click HERE.
Good
morning, this is Andrew McLean with the
Current Conditions:
We have
issued an avalanche warning for the northern
Yesterday’s prefrontal SW winds howled at a steady 30 - 50 mph at most elevations with gusts up to 106 mph at the most exposed ridgetop station. Veteran backcountry users were hard pressed to remember a windier time and you could see large plumes of snow being blown around as low down as the foothills above town. Storm totals added 8-12” of new snow to the plot and we now have a well developed winter storm with powerful avalanche potential. The new snow on top of yesterday’s wind slabs should improve the turning and riding conditions.
Avalanche Conditions:
There were numerous reports of natural, human triggered and explosive control work avalanches yesterday and some very experienced people were having close calls. In the Salt Lake Valley, two hikers triggered a slide in a foothills behind the University of Utah. This was a small avalanche with no injuries, but it illustrates the unusual nature of the current conditions. The strong winds have not only loaded upper elevation slopes, but mid and lower elevations as well. Although they blew predominately from the SW there is extensive cross loading and wind deposits on many aspects and in unusual places. The open upper elevations have been hit the hardest, but even low lying areas have experienced small, natural wind slab releases. A big problem today is that the new snow will cover up yesterday’s dangerous wind slabs making them hard to see. We call this “sucker snow” because it can sucker you into jumping onto something you should avoid. So, you will need to wear your x-ray goggles. Look for smooth, rounded snow underneath the new snow that feels slabby and sometimes sounds hollow.
Today you should pick very conservative routes that stick to gentle slopes or ridgelines with no open slopes above you. Remember that even playing in the foothills behind your house could be potentially very dangerous. Also, watch out for cornices as they will break back further than you expect.
Bottom Line for the
The avalanche danger is HIGH today on steep slopes with wind deposits where
human triggered avalanches will be likely.
In sheltered, lower elevation areas with less steep slopes, there is a CONSIDERABLE
danger and those without good avalanche skills should avoid the backcountry.
Mountain Weather:
Most of the snow should end by about 9:00 this morning. We’ll have a break in the action during mid day, then it will resume tonight as colder, unstable air arrives. Winds will remain in the 20 mph range this morning, with temperatures in the high teens. Starting this evening, the temperature will drop as the winds decrease and shift to the west/NW. This moist system will linger through the weekend with scattered showers and single digit temperatures.
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.
3-Day Table |
3-Day Graph |
7-Day Table |
General
Information:
Wasatch Powderbird Guides will probably not be flying today due to weather.
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.
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