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.

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AVALANCHE ADVISORY

Friday, March 21, 2008  7:30 am
Good morning, this is Brett Kobernik with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather advisory.  Today is Friday, March 21, 2008 and it’s about 7:30 am. 

 

Current Conditions:

It’s been a great winter to be in the Wasatch with an abundance of snow and mostly manageable avalanche conditions.  Yet another refresher treated us to around 6 inches of new snow on Thursday with the Logan area picking up a bit more.  Temperatures warmed quickly as the storm passed and moderate westerly winds did move the snow during the storm a little bit especially along the highest ridges.  Moderate winds continued through mid day.  A small disturbance this morning produced some scattered snow flurries in the northern portion of the state.

 

Snow and Avalanche Discussion:

We had numerous types of avalanche activity on Thursday in the form of natural loose, natural slab, human triggered loose, human triggered slab, and wet slide activity following the clearing.  Most of this activity was fairly shallow and the slabs generally less then 30 feet wide but there were a couple along the highest ridges that cracked out 100 feet wide or so.  Some of the human triggered activity did run a fair distance.  The wet activity probably posed the greatest threat producing some sizeable debris piles that would grind you up pretty good if you were caught.

 

All of the activity from Thursday should be much less pronounced today but we’ll want to watch for similar things.  You may be able to still initiate sluffing and small soft slabs on the steep northerly facing slopes that have powder remaining.  Wet activity will probably be less pronounced as well but don’t let your guard down and constantly monitor how damp the snow becomes.  Consider where your route may put you later in the day during the most intense heating.  Savvy folks stick to shaded high north aspects as things heat up and avoid gullies and terrain traps.

 

Bottom Line for the Salt Lake, Park City, Ogden and Provo area mountains:

We will have a pockety MODERATE avalanche danger today from avalanches within the new snow.  You may still initiate sluffing and small soft slabs in the high north terrain.  The avalanche danger will rise to MODERATE on the southerly aspects as well as north at lower elevations with daytime heating.

Mountain Weather:

Moisture in the mid portion of the atmosphere pushing up against the mountains will form some clouds and the slim chance for isolated flurries this morning with clearing expected later.  Westerly winds will blow strongest this morning then slow a bit afternoon.  We’ll see gusts near 40 at the most exposed locations and gusts to around 20 along the mid elevation ridges slowing as the day goes on.  Temperatures will reach into the mid to upper 30s at 8000 feet and around 30 at the higher locations.  Dry conditions with warming will occur over the next few days.

 

Announcements
The Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in Cardiff, Days, and American Fork.
Today if the weather allows WPG may use two helicopters in the Tri-canyon area. WPG may be in: Mineral, Cardiff, Days, Silver, Millcreek, White Pine,or American Fork, Cascade.
  For more detailed information please call (801) 742-2800 or go to their daily blog.

If you want to get this avalanche advisory e-mailed to you daily click HERE.
UDOT highway avalanche control work info can be found by calling
(801) 975-4838.
Our statewide tollfree line is 1-888-999-4019 (early morning, option 8).

Watch video tututorials and fieldwork from UAC staff at our YouTube channel.

The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.  To find out more about how you can support our efforts to continue providing the avalanche forecasting and education that you expect please visit our Friends page.

If you see any avalanches or interesting snow conditions, please leave us a message at
(801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at [email protected]. (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 on Saturday morning.