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
3/9)
For a list of backcountry avalanche
activity, visit: http://www.avalanche.org/%7Euac/Avalanche_List.htm (Updated
3/9)
Early morning preliminary information by about 6:00 am: 801-364-1591
Avalanche advisory
Friday, March 12, 2004, 7:30 am
Good
morning, this is Andrew McLean with the
Current Conditions:
Spring has sprung in the Wasatch, with some of the
first short sleeves and outdoor BBQ’s of the season sprouting yesterday. Warm and toasty daytime temperatures climbed
into the lower 50’s with barely a trace of wind. The Tri-Canyons areas received a good refreeze
overnight, while the
Avalanche Conditions:
Wet avalanches continue to be the main concern during this spell of high pressure and warm weather. The dramatic swings between daytime highs and nighttime lows have consolidated the snowpack into a well bonded mass, with the exception of afternoon wet slides. These are mainly confined to slopes that receive large amounts of direct sunlight and with today’s expected cooler temperatures, should be held at bay.
Although wet avalanches generally move slower than dry slides, they should be given proper respect. Like quicksand, just getting a toe caught in one can lead to slowly getting dragged down. The best way to avoid them is to get an early start and stay off of and out from underneath rapidly warming slopes. If you find yourself in the midst of a soggy slope, stick to the ridgelines, or use a diagonal fall line to avoid the sluffs creeping down from above. Elevation is also a major factor, with the lower, warmer areas peeling off sooner in the day.
Bottom
Line for the Wasatch Range, including the
The avalanche danger is LOW this morning, rising to MODERATE by about noon on all sun exposed slopes steeper than 35 degrees, especially at mid and lower elevations.
Bottom
Line for the
Due to a poor refreeze and warmer temperatures, the avalanche activity will be a notch higher in these areas, starting with a moderate danger and rising to considerable as the temperatures increase throughout the day.
Mountain Weather:
A
dwindling Pacific system will make an appearance later today and drift
southeast through the tip of
For specific digital forecasts for the
General Information:
Yesterday,
the Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in Mineral and
The second annual Wasatch PowderKeg Ski Mountaineering 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.
Evelyn Lees will update this advisory Saturday morning.
Thanks for calling.
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