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:

 

To have this advisory automatically e-mailed to you each day free of charge, visit: http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=16351h          

For photos of avalanches and avalanche phenomenon, visit:  http://www.avalanche.org/%7Euac/photos_03-04.htm      (Updated 2/18)

Photos sent in by observers throughout the season visit:  http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/obphotos/observer.html      (Updated 2/20)

For a list of backcountry avalanche activity, visit:  http://www.avalanche.org/%7Euac/Avalanche_List.htm     (Updated 2/18)

 

Avalanche advisory

Sunday, February 22, 2004,   7:30 am

 

Good morning, this is Drew Hardesty with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather advisory.  Today is Sunday, February 22, 2004, and it’s 7:30 a.m.  This forecast is brought to you in partnership with the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, supported by the Uinta Brewing Company.

 

This Tuesday at 7pm, Bruce will be giving a talk at REI on the ‘Science of Avalanches’.  

Current Conditions:

Under a mild but moist southerly flow, the Wasatch picked up another couple inches during the day yesterday.  Winds were light, but have since backed more to the southeast and have picked up slightly with more exposed wind stations reading 15mph.  With overcast skies, temperatures haven’t wavered much in the past 24 hours and are in the upper teens and low twenties.  As of 5am, it’s still lightly snowing.  Turning and riding conditions are still quite good on northerly slopes above 8000’.

 

Avalanche Conditions:

The reported activity from yesterday was relegated to relatively minor sluffing in the upper elevation steep slopes.  While you may be able to get some loose snow moving today, it’s more likely that the warm temps and high humidity have helped to stabilize things.  Otherwise, our more deeply buried weak layers seem content for now and any wind slabs from a few days ago have settled out.  That being said, remember that Low danger doesn’t mean no danger and there may still be the odd or unusual nook where someone could get into trouble.  It’d be worth keeping your guard in shallow rocky areas or areas along the south side of the Park City ridgeline.   As an afterthought, you might be able to find some shallow soft slabs on northerly exposures on ridgelines exposed to south and southeasterly winds.  

 

Bottom Line for the Wasatch Range, including the Salt Lake, Park City, OGDEN and provo AREA MOUNTAINS:

The overall danger is low. 

 

Uinta Mountains:  For Uinta specific information, click on Western Uintas on the advisory page or phone 1-800-648-7433.

Logan: click HERE or call 435-797-4146

 

Mountain Weather:

Should be a replay of yesterday with off and on flurries that may amount to a couple of inches.  The winds should remain less than 15 mph out of the south and southeast.  8000’ temps will be near 30 with temps along the ridges in the low 20’s.  The overall pattern keeps us in a moist southerly flow for the next few days with a stronger looking system slated for Thursday morning.

 

For specific digital forecasts for the Salt Lake, Provo or Ogden mountains, CLICK HERE.

 

General Information:

The Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly yesterday and if they’re able to get out today, they’ll head to Snake Creek, AF, and the Cascade Ridgeline.

 

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. 

 

I will update this advisory Monday morning.

Thanks for calling.

 

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