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Cache National
Forest
In partnership with: The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, Utah Department of Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, and Utah State Parks
The Utah Avalanche
Center Home page is: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/
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Avalanche advisory
Friday,
December 24, 2004
Good morning, Brett Kobernik
here with the
Registration for
the Friends of the
Free Beacon Rescue
Training Centers are now open at Snowbird and the Canyons. For more information go to
wasatchbackcountryrescue.org.
Current Conditions:
Skies are partly cloudy and
temperatures are already warmer then they’ve been in the last 24 hours. Most stations are up to around 10 degrees at
10,000’. North winds have continued to
blow in the 25 mph range along the ridges with stronger gusts being
reported. It appears that the wind is
starting to taper off now.
If you were brave enough to
battle the cold yesterday you may have been rewarded with some decent
powder. An average of 2-6 inches of new
snow fell in the upper Cottonwoods on Tuesday and Wednesday, improving riding
conditions quite a bit. The Ogden and
Uinta areas are reporting 4-7 inches of new snow out of the last storm. Slopes that still had soft
settled snow before this last storm have the best conditions.
Avalanche Conditions:
Wind is the biggest factor
from this last storm. The light density
snow is very prone to transport and drifting.
Yesterday there was sluffing of
the new snow on steeper slopes initiated from skiers. There were also fresh wind drifts along the
upper ridgelines that would crack while walking on them. These pockets were small and shallow and
didn’t warrant much concern. With the
prolonged duration of the wind over the last 24 hours I would expect to see
these drifts more widespread and a bit deeper today. For the most part these drifts won’t be large
enough to bury a person but they might surprise you and could knock you off
your feet. Cracking of the snow is an
indicator of sensitive slabs. With the
warming temperatures today, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some natural
activity in the form of loose snow sluffs on steep sunny slopes. Also don’t completely rule out our weak layer
from November. If you are traveling in
areas with a thinner snowpack you should continue to dig down and take a look
at the weak layer. Remember that if
you’re finding loose sugary snow underneath a denser layer of snow you should
use caution.
Bottom Line (SLC,
There will be a generally LOW avalanche danger in most areas today. A MODERATE danger
on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow still exists. There are isolated areas of MODERATE danger where slides may break into
old snow on steep north through east facing slopes, especially in thin snowpack
areas.
Mountain Weather:
Skies should continue to clear
with temperatures more seasonal in the mid to upper 20’s at 10,000’. Winds will decrease and shift to the
northwest by this afternoon. High
pressure with warmer temperatures will remain over the area through Saturday. A
closed low pressure system will move in sometime early next week.
Yesterday Wasatch Powderbird
Guides flew in
Today they will be in the
same areas with the addition of White Pine, Mineral and American Fork
We do an early morning update
around 6am each day on the 364-1591 line.
To report backcountry snow
and avalanche conditions, especially if you observe or trigger an avalanche,
call (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email to [email protected] or fax 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.
Thanks for calling!
________________________________________________________________________
For an explanation of
avalanche danger ratings: