In
partnership with: The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of
Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management,
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
3/6)
Photos sent in by observers
throughout the season visit: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/obphotos/observer.html (Updated
2/24)
For a list of backcountry avalanche
activity, visit: http://www.avalanche.org/%7Euac/Avalanche_List.htm (Updated
3/6)
Early morning preliminary information by 6:00 am: 801-364-1591
Avalanche advisory
Sunday, March 07, 2004, 7:30 am
Good
morning, this is Drew Hardesty with the
Current Conditions:
The winds screamed out of
the west yesterday averaging in the 40’s and 50’s and are only now starting to
become a more reasonable 10-15mph. Equally
important from yesterday was the fact that lower elevation and more sheltered
anemometers recorded winds in the 15-20 mph range. The
Avalanche Conditions:
The strong winds wreaked havoc in the backcountry as
the delightful powder from Friday became yesterday’s sensitive wind slab. There were numerous skier triggered avalanches
yesterday and one very large natural avalanche on
The snowpack doesn’t like rapid changes. By Friday morning, there were high snowfall
rates and nearly 2’ of new snow and we saw avalanches. On Saturday the winds howled and we saw
avalanches. And for today, with clear
skies, we will see temperatures jump 15-20 degrees in the mountains. Stay off of an out from any slope getting too
soggy and watch for rollerballs and pinwheels. The wet activity should be significant today
and will be found mostly on steep sunny aspects but could include low elevation
northerly facing slopes as well by afternoon.
You might want to postpone your picnic below
Bottom
Line for the Wasatch Range, including the
The avalanche danger remains CONSIDERABLE on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. While naturals are unlikely, human triggered avalanches in steep windloaded terrain are probable. Adding insult to injury, the danger of wet avalanche activity will rise to CONSIDERABLE on the steep sun exposed slopes. Natural activity will be likely today.
Mountain Weather:
We’ll see clear skies and light northwesterly winds today. Temperatures will be in the mid-40’s at 8000’ and 32 degrees along the ridgetops. Tomorrow will be even warmer.
For specific digital forecasts for the
General Information:
Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly yesterday because of weather. Today, they will be in the Sessions, American Fork, and Cascade areas.
Finally, the annual Wasatch Powderkeg randonnee rally race will be March 20th. You can sign up at the Black Diamond retail store.
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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