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
AVALANCHE ADVISORY
Wednesday,
February 15, 2006 7:30am
Good morning, this is Evelyn Lees with
the
A long time fundraiser for the
Current Conditions:
A cold upper level trough is slowly settling
southward into the
Avalanche Conditions:
South of I-80, it
will be a day of increasing avalanche danger with snow and wind in the forecast.
North of I-80, the avalanche danger is Considerable,
and backcountry travelers need to be conservative.
The strong overnight winds have produced
another batch of pockety hard wind drifts sitting on weak, sugary snow. While strongest across the highest ridges,
the winds have also been significant at both the mid and lower elevations, so
the new wind drifts will be more wide spread this morning, both along the
ridgelines and down in open bowls, around sub ridges, and at breakovers. The stubborn hard slabs tend to break above
you, and will soon be hidden beneath new snow.
In addition, as the snow piles up in your area, new soft wind drifts
will form and be sensitive on steep slopes.
The new snow is landing on a variety of old
snow surfaces east, south and west facing slopes are a mix of rough and smooth
hard crusts and wind slabs, while there are widespread areas of weak surface facets
in addition to wind slabs on the shady, northerly facing slopes. The new snow will bond poorly to most of these
old snow surfaces. Of most concern are the
shady slopes, where it may become possible to trigger slides from a distance
later today or tomorrow. So be very
careful of what slope you are connected to, and avoid travel below and adjacent
to steep slopes as the snow piles up.
Today will be a day of rising avalanche danger. The avalanche danger is MODERATE
this morning on steep slopes with fresh or old drifts of wind blown snow. As the snow accumulates this afternoon, the
danger will become MODERATE on all
slopes steeper than about 35 degrees.
Bottom Line
The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE
on steep slopes with recent drifts of wind blown snow. Natural avalanches are possible and human triggered
avalanche probable. Other steep slopes
have a MODERATE danger.
Mountain Weather:
The mid level trough that has been stalled over northern
Announcements:
Click here to check out our new online avalanche
encyclopedia.
Early birds and snow
geeks can catch our 6AM report at 364-1591.
Click HERE for a text only version of the avalanche advisory.
To
have this advisory automatically e-mailed to you each day, click HERE.
UDOT also has a highway avalanche control work
hotline for Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and
Wasatch
Powderbird Guides flew in White Pine and Snake Creek yesterday, and weather permitting, they will fly in
Please
report any backcountry snow and avalanche conditions. Call (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, email [email protected] or fax 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.
I will update
this advisory by 7:30 Thursday morning. Thanks for calling.