Salt Lake Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Brett Kobernik

BOTTOM LINE

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


Danger Rose Tutorial

Most terrain has a Level 1 (LOW) avalanche danger. If you are getting in to more radical terrain with slopes pushing 40 degrees, this is the most likely spot to trigger a wind slab today. Easterly aspects, especially along ridges, with slopes approaching 40 degrees have a pockety Level 2 (MODERATE) danger.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

The Wasatch received a dusting of snow on Sunday. Currently, temperatures are in the upper teens to low 20s. Westerly winds have moderate speeds with stations in the Cottonwoods showing a slight increase over the last 6 hours. A rime event occurred Sunday afternoon and was noted by a few observers. The extent of a resultant crust is not yet known but I'm sure we'll know more after today.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

You're main concern today will be minor fresh and or lingering windslabs on the steeper lee slopes. These will be fairly stubborn for the most part as they are a couple of days old but there may be a few fresh shallow drifts that formed yesterday afternoon and this morning with the minor new snow event and slight winds. Digging deeper into the snowpack, I'm quite pleased with what I see. Hand hardness quickly increases indicating strong layers. (More on Hand Hardness) There is no one particular layer that excites me much in the Cottonwoods. Reports of a rime/rain crust in the Ogden mountains below the 8000 foot level is something to be watched and we'll want to pay attention to the newest rime crust in all areas if, indeed, one formed.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We'll see partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 20s. Westerly winds will be light to moderate with moderate speed gusts along the ridges. We remain in a westerly flow through Tuesday and a fairly decent storm is shaping up starting Wednesday which should give us a nice refresher.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams 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.

Salt Lake – Alta Central (801-742-2033)

Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)

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.

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.

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

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

You have the opportunity to participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email to uac@utahavalanchecenter.org

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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.