Snow, Weather, and Avalanche Advisory

Introduction:

Good Morning! This is Max Forgensi with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory for the Wasatch Plateau/Manti Skyline Region, including, but not limited to Huntington and Fairview Canyons. This advisory is brought to you through a partnership of Utah State Parks and the USFS. Today is Sunday, November, 28^th, 2004 at 7:30 a.m.

Education:

Be on the lookout for avalanche awareness classes near you! We will be teaching our first AIARE Level I Avalanche Course on the Skyline this year, if you are interested, you can contact Max Forgensi at 435.636.3363. It will be a educational three day course with an emphasis on field instruction. Call to sign up!

Current Conditions:

What a difference a couple of days make! We are still under a HEAVY SNOW WARNING that will last through the morning. A foot of snow fell at the Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL site last night. A total of 23.5” is on the ground there. The heavy snow warning is for potentially hazardous driving conditions up on the Skyline Drive Road. With moderate winds of 15-25 mph out of the N-NE expected today and tomorrow, there will be plenty of drifting on roads and times of white out conditions. Be careful of snowplows today as well. After safely traveling to the Skyline, snowmobilers and snowsliders will find some beautiful powder to enjoy!

Mountain Weather:

The large trough of Pacific moisture is moving out of the area by Monday and will be replaced by a cold air mass that will stay in place through the beginning of the work week.

Today: Breezy. Widespread snow showers. Accumulations of 1”-3” expected. High at 8,000’ near 20. Winds will be out of the North at 15-25 mph.

Sunday Night: Colder. Breezy. Mostly cloudy skies with a 60% chance of additional (1”) snow accumulations. Low near 0. Winds will be out of the Northeast at 15-25 mph

Monday: Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of additional snow. Highs at 8,000’ near 20, low 0. NE winds at 15-25 mph.

Avalanche Conditions:

12” of snow fell on the Wasatch Plateau in the past 24 hours, it is definitely time to think avalanche and how to stay safe while riding in avalanche terrain. The greatest concern should be with steep northerly aspects and recently deposited wind slabs and cornices on S-SW aspects. The cornice and wind slab danger should increase throughout the day and into tomorrow. The recent cold temperatures and shallow snow pack have created poor stability conditions. We are experiencing the formation of facets; both depth hoar (sugar snow) on our colder Northerly slopes and near-surface facets on the surface of the southern sun crusts. These deformations of the snow on the ground will be the weak layers that will be buried under the new snow we received yesterday and what we are expecting today. The recipe for an avalanche could be present: bed surface, weak layer, and a slab. Be careful! I am going to issue an avalanche hazard of CONSIDERABLE on northerly aspects greater than 30 degrees. The rest of the areas I am going to rate as MODERATE. Be weary of terrain traps such as steep gullies, any recently deposited wind slabs and cornice development. Below is some other things to think about before heading up.

As the snow starts to fall on the Wasatch Plateau, it is time to start thinking about how to recreate safely in the snow and mountains. And with that, one always thinks of avalanches and how to identify potential hazardous areas. There is a lot of terrain to go out and explore, a little pre-planning and knowledge goes a long way. Checking this advisory before you venture out as one of your tools is a step in the right direction. For the time being, here is some things to incorporate this year into your backcountry adventures.

Ø The early season takes us all by surprise, make sure you have packed the essentials.

Ø Change the batteries on your avalanche transceiver and remember to practice!

Ø Let someone know of your plan

Ø Go out and have fun!