Salt Lake Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Evelyn Lees

BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

There are pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, where both soft wind drifts and loose sluffs can be triggered on shady slopes, especially along the higher ridgelines. There is also a MODERATE danger on shady mid-elevation slopes for triggering a slide 1 to 2’ deep on the buried surface hoar layer. If the surface snow becomes damp where you are, wet loose sluffs will become easy to trigger on steep slopes of many aspects.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

Yesterday’s late afternoon/evening storm dropped about 6” of snow in the upper Cottonwoods, with 1 to 3” of snow mid canyon, and in the Park City, Ogden, and Provo mountains. Skies this morning are partly cloudy to overcast, with scattered light snow showers. The westerly winds are very light, generally less than 10 mph and temperatures are refreshingly cool - in the single digits to low teens. Strong spring sun and warm temperatures have limited the best powder to mid and upper elevation shady, northerly facing slopes.

RECENT ACTIVITY

Yesterday was quiet in the backcountry, with just one report of a soft slab triggered on a steep, northerly facing slope in upper Mill D, (Big Cottonwood Canyon, photos posted) and a few small dry and wet loose sluffs.

THREAT #1
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

“New Snow” is a catch all for a variety of potential, surface snow avalanche problems. First, identify and avoid any wind drifts, which are most widespread along the ridges at the upper and mid elevations. Second, be prepared for sluffing of the snow on steep slopes, which could be large enough to take you for a ride, pushing you over a cliff or into trees. And finally, if the clouds thin or the sun comes out where you are, the surface snow could rapidly become damp, and wet loose sluffs will be easy to trigger on steep slopes of most aspects.


THREAT #2
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

While the buried surface hoar feathers are slowly strengthening, snow pit tests show there is still potential to trigger a slide on this persistent buried weak layer. While pockets of buried surface hoar exist throughout the range, it is most widespread between 8 and 9,000’ in elevation, in mid Big Cottonwood drainages, Mill Creek, Lambs Canyon and many areas north of I-80. Slides can be triggered remotely from a distance on this layer or break out above you, and would be 1 to 2’ deep, between 50 and 150’ wide.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

A cool northwest flow will be over the area today, with partly cloudy to overcast skies. Occasional snow showers are possible, especially this afternoon, though accumulations will be light, a trace to 2”. The northwesterly winds should remain less than 15 mph, except across the highest peaks, where speeds could increase to 20 mph, with gusts to 30. 8,000’ highs will be in the upper 20s and 10,000’ highs in the mid teens. Thursday will be partly cloudy and cool, followed by a sunny, hot Friday.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

SLC: Please contact Alta Central (801-742-2033) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Ogden: Please contact Snowbasin ski patrol (801620-1000/1017) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Provo: Please contact Sundance ski patrol (801 -223-4150) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale at discounted prices.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flight plan.

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30:888-999-4019 option 8.

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

Free UAC iPhone app from Canyon Sports.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

We appreciate all your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or fill out the observation form on our home page.

Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

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.

Brett will update this forecast tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling.


This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done.  This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.