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
For photos
of avalanches and avalanche phenomenon, click HERE.
For a list of backcountry avalanche activity, click HERE.
Current Conditions:
We had clear skies, cold temperatures and light winds overnight. This morning, the ridge top temperatures are in the single digits. About of foot of light density snow fell yesterday morning on top of the wind slabs created by the ferocious winds on the afternoon of New Year’s Day. Turning and riding conditions were quite good yesterday even on low angled slopes but the underlying wind slabs are quite variable ranging from rock hard surfaces to slabby, punchy snow. Likewise trail breaking varied widely from a pig wallow through unsupportable wind slabs to easy cruising on harder surfaces. The Uinta Mountains picked up an incredible 20 inches of new snow from yesterday morning’s snow storm, making travel very difficult, while most other areas got around a foot of light, new snow.
Avalanche Conditions:
The huge wind storm on the afternoon of New Year’s
Day created widespread areas of sensitive wind slabs that cracked and moved
easily under the weight of a person and also a number of attention-getting
large natural avalanches especially in areas outside of the
If you’re headed outside of the
Bottom Line for the Wasatch Range near
The avalanche danger is MODERATE on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted
snow, meaning there’s localized places where you can trigger an avalanche. On slopes less than 30 degrees, the avalanche
danger is LOW.
Mountain Weather:
Today, we have a narrow band of snow that should put down 3-6 inches this morning, then a break for mid day and colder, more unstable air should arrive this afternoon or evening, which should give us a few more light snow showers. Temperatures should be in the single digits along the ridge tops and in the mid teens down at 8,000’. Ridge top winds may pick up to around 20 mph with the passage of these snow squalls and blow from the southwest this morning to northwest this afternoon. The extended forecast calls for a much-needed break in the weather with a weak system on about Wednesday and another one in about another week.
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 be flying today in
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.
Drew
Hardesty will update this advisory on Sunday 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