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
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Friday, January 21, 2005
Good morning, this is Brett
Kobernik with the
I will be giving a free “Know Before You
Go” avalanche awareness talk at the
Current Conditions:
Yesterday certainly was a
warm one. I measured a temperature of 41
degrees on the shady north aspect of
Avalanche Conditions:
Even with the warm
temperatures from Thursday, most observers reported very little wet avalanche
activity and no reports of any deep slab avalanches. (Photo of explosive triggered avalanche on Red Baldy from Wednesday) With slightly cooler temperatures today I
would expect even less wet activity but you should still watch for wet mushy
snow if you intend on using lower elevation terrain. Deep slab releases are still in the back of
my mind and you would most likely trigger one of these in steep upper elevation
shallow rocky north aspects where the snowpack weakness is more pronounced.
Bottom Line (
The avalanche
danger is MODERATE on northwest through east facing slopes
of about 35 degrees and steeper. Human
triggered avalanches are possible. Continue
to watch for wet activity as well over the next few days.
Mountain Weather:
Today we’ll have just
enough moisture moving in from the north to produce some high clouds. Ridgetop temperatures should remain in the
low to mid 30’s and winds will be from a northerly direction at 5 to 10 mph
picking up just slightly during the day.
We’ll see the same pattern for Saturday with just slightly fewer high
clouds.
I know I welcomed a break
from the storms and avalanches a few days ago but now I’m rested and ready for
some more. Unfortunately the ridge of
high pressure will remain over the area for a few more days. Computer models show a change by the middle
of next week but just what kind of change is unclear.
Yesterday Powderbird
Guides flew in Porter Fork and the
UDOT HAS A NEW ROAD AND AVALANCHE HOTLINE
FOR THE COTTONWOODS: 975-4838.
The new UAC web page is up
and operational. Check it out at
www.avalanche.org then click on
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.
Thanks for calling
For an explanation of
avalanche danger ratings:
http://www.avalanche.org/usdanger.htm