Wasatch Cache National Forest
In partnership with: Utah State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County.

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Avalanche advisory

Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Good morning, this is Evelyn Lees with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather advisory.  Today is Wednesday, March 15, 2005, and its 7:30 in the morning.

This Saturday, March 19, is the 3rd Annual Black Diamond PowderKeg Race. It starts at 7:00 am at Goldminer's Daughter at Alta and ends at Brighton via Twin Lakes pass. The Grizzly Gulch/Twin Lakes Pass areas will be busy with racers all morning.

Current Conditions:
Winds, clouds and temperatures are increasing this morning ahead of an approaching storm. The westerly winds are in the 10 to 15 mph range at the lower mountain stations, but the higher peaks averaging 30 to 35 mph, with gusts into the 40’s. Temperatures are in the upper teens to low twenties. The snow on most slopes will be firm this morning, and the best chance for any softening will be at the low and mid elevations if the sun peeks out for a while today.

Avalanche Conditions:
The snow pack is mostly stable. In the upper elevation terrain, there may be a few new shallow drifts forming that could be kicked off, and should be avoided on steep slopes. There will probably not be enough heating by the sun to create any wet sluff activity today. With these hard snow conditions, be careful in steep terrain to avoid taking a long slide.

Bottom Line (Salt Lake, Park City, Ogden and Provo mountains):
The avalanche danger is generally LOW. Both human triggered and natural avalanches are unlikely. For an explanation of avalanche danger ratings go to: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/ed-scale.htm

Mountain Weather: (You can find the afternoon Weather Update here.)
A disturbance in a northwest flow will cross the area tonight and Thursday. Increasing clouds today, with winds shifting to the southwest and generally blowing in the 15 to 20 mph range. Temperatures will warm into the upper 30’s at 8,000’ and the low 20’s at 10,000’. Strong westerly winds are expected to begin later tonight, reaching their peak during the day on Thursday. Snow will begin after midnight, and 4 to 8” are possible by Thursday afternoon. Then a series of disturbances will move through the west for about the next seven days, bringing several small shots of snow to the mountains.

Yesterday, Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly. If they fly today they will be in Mineral, Cardiff, Days, Silver, White Pine, Cascade and American Fork.

If you have any snow or avalanche observations, call and leave a message at 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or e-mail us at [email protected]. Fax is 524-6301.

UDOT COTTONWOOD CANYONS HOTLINE FOR ROAD CLOSURE AND AVALANCHE CONTROL INFORMATION: 975-4838. We try to update our early morning avalanche activity report by around 5:30 am at 364-1591.

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.

Bruce Tremper will update this advisory by 7:30 on Thursday morning.

Thanks for calling.