Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Salt Lake Area Mountains Issued by Mark Staples for Tuesday - March 15, 2016 - 7:18am
bottom line

On upper elevation slopes the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE where you will find many fresh wind slabs that will be easy to trigger. At mid elevations the avalanche danger is MODERATE where you can still find some wind slabs. Additionally, triggering an avalanche within the new snow is possible even on non wind loaded slopes.
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current conditions

It's great to see winter come back for a visit even though it felt more like May or June yesterday with heavy rain and lightning yesterday especially in the Ogden area.

  • This morning temperatures dropped to 10 degrees F above 9000 feet and into the teens F below that elevation.
  • Since yesterday morning another 6-8 inches of snow fell bringing storm totals to 9-11 inches of snow averaging about an inch of water content. Upper Big Cottonwood Canyon got the most snow with a storm total of 16 inches containing 1.4 inches of water.
  • Winds are the main avalanche issue this morning. In upper LIttle Cottonwood Canyon above 10,000 feet winds are blowing 20 mph gusting to 40 from the WNW. In most other places winds are blowing 10-15 mph gusting 20-25 mph from the WNW.
Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

It's a pretty easy formula - when it snows and the wind blows, we get wind slabs that make avalanches. Winds yesterday blew strong from the SW and this morning they are blowing generally from the WNW. A harder question to answer is how much time they need to stablize. As long as snow is falling and the wind is blowing, they should remain sensitive, and for today, it will be easy to trigger fresh wind slabs.
Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Even in places without any wind loading, I would assess the bond between the new snow and the old snow. The good news is that this is easy to do by jumping on small, steep test slopes. Also, walk or ride above your partner's tracks and see if the snow cracks or slides easily into their tracks.

  • On south aspects the new snow is resting on hard ice crusts. Make sure it is well bonded to this crust.
  • On north aspects, the new snow should be well bonded to the old snow, but make sure the top 6 inches of the old snow is not breaking. Evelyn and I found a few potential weak layers in the old snow on Sunday prior to this storm (see photo below and read the observation here). These layers weren't too concerning but something to keep an eye on today with a load of new snow stressing them.
weather

Today, snowfall may linger through the morning but increase a bit this afternoon and evening and deliver another 3-5 inches of snow by tomorrow morning. Temperatures will climb a few degrees today but should remain in the teens F above 9000 feet. Winds should blow 10-20 mph generally from the west before shifting to the NW this evening.
general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

To get help in an emergency (to request a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911.  Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

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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 exist.