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
To receive automated
e-mails of this advisory click HERE.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Good morning, this Brett
Kobernik with the
The new UAC web page is up
and operational. Check it out at
avalanche.org then click on
Current Conditions:
As of 5 a.m. there are partly
cloudy skies over the mountains. Ridge
top temperatures are in the mid 20’s and winds are around 10 mph from the NW.
Avalanche Conditions:
It’s a good news bad news
type of day. The good news is that no
avalanche activity was reported from the backcountry yesterday. Also, if you can call it good, the search has
been called of in Dutch’s Draw with a final fatality number of only one which
is much lower then expected. The bad
news is that most savvy backcountry users including myself are still not
willing to get onto their favorite steep slopes that have not recently slid. (photos of slopes that have slid)
The high pressure
affecting the area this week is probably just the remedy we need to help the
snowpack adjust and quiet down. With the astounding water weight that was added
from the last storm cycle it’s best to give it some more time. This unusual storm cycle has the old timers
digging out their old records for comparison which illustrates that this was
not our normal event. This is just
another reason to relax until we get back to usual conditions.
Bottom Line (
The avalanche
danger is MODERATE on and below all northwest through
the easterly facing slopes approaching 35 degrees and steeper. Remember, however, that there’s no such thing
as moderately dead. Human triggered
avalanches are possible. If you feel you
need to get onto steep slopes, try using a slope that has already avalanched. Also, the cloud cover today may hold the warm
air in and may accentuate wet activity at the mid-to-low elevations.
Mountain Weather:
It may sound like blasphemy
to powder enthusiasts, but I know I’m not the only person welcoming the high
pressure ridge affecting
A high pressure ridge will
continue to affect
Yesterday Powderbird
Guides flew in AF and will be busy today in Mineral Fork,
UDOT HAS A NEW ROAD AND AVALANCHE HOTLINE
FOR THE COTTONWOODS: 975-4838.
Snowbird is
hosting its 2nd annual Backcountry Avalanche Awareness Week January
31 – February 7th as a benefit for the
We appreciate hearing from
you especially if you have information about recent avalanche activity so don’t
hesitate to call and leave a message at 524-5304, or 1-800-662-4140, or e-mail
us at [email protected]
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 by 7:30 on Wednesday
morning.
Thanks for calling
For an explanation of
avalanche danger ratings:
http://www.avalanche.org/usdanger.htm