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 Saturday, January 8th, 2005 at 7:30 a.m.
Education:
Be on the lookout for avalanche awareness classes near you! We will be teaching two AIARE Level I
Avalanche Course on the Skyline this year, if you are interested, you can
contact Max Forgensi at 435.636.3363.
They will be an educational three day course with an emphasis on field
instruction. The January course is
full, although the February 4th-6th class is open. Call to sign up!
Current Conditions:
The
Manti Skyline is under an AVALANCHE
WARNING FOR TODAY AND A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN AFFECT UNTIL 6:00 P.M.
SUNDAY. Very strong winds
and periods of heavy snowfall and increasing temperatures will cause
considerable blowing and drifting of snow, increasing the avalanche hazard and
compromising road conditions. The
Skyline has received close to 24” since the New Year, 6” falling last weekend
and an additional 14” of snow falling early this week. Natural avalanche activity has and will
continue to happen throughout the weekend. There is plenty of snow on everyone’s favorite designated
trails and powder fields, once again this weekend will be a good time to stay
away from the steeper terrain until the snow stops falling and wind stops a
blowing. The Mammoth/Cottonwood
SNOTEL site has 43” of snow on the ground and the temperature at 5:00 a.m. is
17 degrees.
Mountain Weather:
Winter Storm Warning in effect until 6:00 pm
Sunday.
Today: VERY
WINDY. Snow. Accumulations of 2-5 inches
expected. High at 8,000’ in the
mid 20’s. Winds will be out of the
South at 35-45 mph.
Tonight: Very windy. Snow. Accumulations of 3-6 inches expected. Low near 20 at 8,000’. Winds will be out of the Southwest at
30-40 mph.
Sunday: Windy. Snow. Accumulations of 3-5 inches expected. High will be in the mid-20’s at 8,000’. Winds will be out of the West at 20-30
mph.
Avalanche Conditions:
The Skyline is setting up for another large avalanche cycle,
strong winds and heavy snow will be loading the weak snow pack on the
slopes. The Skyline is under an Avalanche Warning for today. Strong winds, heavy snow, and increasing temperatures have
and will continue to create unstable slopes, at
all elevations and on all aspects.
I am going to rate the avalanche danger at a blanket CONSIDERABLE with the avalanche danger at HIGH on steep slopes with recent wind
drifts. A HIGH avalanche danger means that natural
avalanches are likely and human-triggered avalanches are likely as well. Keep your slope angles today below
30 degrees, and travel a safe distance from the run-out zones of avalanche
paths. Travel in places that you
have some visibility (in trees) or on designated travel routes that stays clear
of avalanche terrain. For the next
couple of days, let Mother Nature play with the steep terrain.