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

 

AVALANCHE BULLETIN

Saturday, November 26, 2005  5pm
Good morning, this is Brett Kobernik with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather bulletin.  Today is Saturday, November 26, 2005, and it’s about 7 am.  We are now on our normal winter schedule and will be issuing daily avalanche advisories and weather bulletins for the duration of the season.

There will be two showings of the new TGR film “Tangerine Dream” at Brewvies Thursday, December 1, at 7 and 9 pm.  This is a fundraiser for the UAC, sponsored by our partner, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center.  Advance tickets are available at Black Diamond retail or www.FeedTheHabit.com.

Next week our staff will be giving two free avalanche awareness talks.  The first is Tuesday, November 29th at the Salt Lake REI.  The second is Thursday, December 1st at the Sandy REI.  Both are at 7pm.  These talks are great for all ages and all types of recreation.

For a quick glance at avalanche classes in the Salt Lake and Park City area, (Click Here).

The annual report for 2004-05 is now on the web. (Click HERE, 8mb)

Current Conditions:   
Snow started falling overnight with the Ogden mountains picking to 6 inches already.  Alta received 4 inches as of 6am.  Ridgetop winds are 10 to 20 mph from the northwest.  Ridgetop temperatures are near 30 at 8000 feet and in the low 20s at 10,000 feet.

Avalanche Conditions:
Just about the time I was really getting tired of staring at weather maps depicting an endless high pressure, it looks like the Wasatch will receive some much needed snow.

The current snow pack is a complex mix of sun crusts, wind crusts and various types of recrystalized snow but let’s try to keep it simple.  The last two weeks of high pressure produced an abundance of weak, sugary snow on northwest through easterly facing slopes above 8500 feet.  Expect this snow to collapse and avalanche if we receive the heavy snowfall that’s forecasted.

You can easily avoid this problem once we have enough snow by traveling in areas that had little or no snow prior to this event such as southerly facing slopes or lower elevation slopes.

The difficulty is areas that currently have weak snow will be some of the most inviting.  Don’t let your excitement for fresh snow override your decision making.  Give it a little time to see just how the old snow reacts with the new.  Carry a shovel, probe and avalanche beacon and practice with them prior to going out to refresh your skills and check that your equipment is operating properly.

Bottom Line:
The avalanche danger will quickly rise to MODERATE as snow piles up during the day.  This will be most pronounced on west through north through east facing slopes steeper then 35 degrees that had snow cover previous to this storm.  Again, the avalanche danger will be on the rise today and may reach Considerable by late this afternoon or evening.

Mountain Weather: 
For today, expect snow showers with accumulations up to a foot by late afternoon.  Snow levels should reach the valley floor.  Ridgetop temperatures will drop into the mid teens and ridgetop winds will be in the 20 mph range from the northwest. 

For tonight into Sunday expect more snow.  Confidence is good that there will be lake effect bands that could add another 20 inches or more in areas favored by northwest flow.  Ridgetop temperatures may drop to the single digits by Sunday morning and ridgetop winds will stay in the 20 mph range from the northwest.

For the rest of the week, we’ll be in a moist westerly flow with a few more systems moving through, the next starting Monday night.

Seasonal Weather History Charts.  (NOTE:  USE INTERNET EXPLORER FOR BEST VIEWING)

Please report any backcountry snow and avalanche conditions you observe.  We need all the information we can get.  You can 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.

To have this advisory automatically e-mailed to you each day, click HERE.  (You must re-sign up this season even if you were on the list last season.)

Bruce Tremper will update this advisory Sunday morning.  Thanks for calling.