Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center

US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest               

Introduction:  Good Morning!  This is Evan Stevens with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory for the Wasatch Plateau/Manti Skyline Region, including but not limited to Ephraim, Huntington and Fairview Canyons.  This advisory is brought to you through a partnership with Utah State Parks.  Today is Friday, February 11th, 2005 at 7:30 a.m.

 

To see past advisories check out the ARCHIVE.  To see current conditions go to our WEATHER PAGE.  To see photos go to the AVIPHOTOS page.

 

General Conditions:

With a SNOW ADVISORY in effect for today, and the possibility of extending this weather advisory or beefing it up, we are issuing a heads up avalanche bulletin for this coming weekend.  This past week brought us 9 to 12 inches of new snow, greatly improving riding conditions and it has quickly settled with the last few days of warm and stable weather.  Expect some great riding conditions, as the snow goes, but visibility should be poor this weekend, so the best bet for a good time will be below treeline.  Expect some sun crusts on the southerly facing slopes, and settled powder on sheltered and shady slopes. 4WD and maybe chains will be recommended as well. 

 

Current Conditions (6 a.m.):

Miller Flat (8,800’):  46” of settled snow on the ground with 9-12” of new snow since Monday.

Top of the Skyline:  60 to 80” of settled snow on the ground.

 

Mountain Weather: (At 8,000’)

Friday: Snow. Snow accumulation 1 inch. Probability of measurable precipitation 70 percent. Southeast wind 13 mph. High 36.
Friday Night: Snow. Snow accumulation 1 inch. Probability of measurable precipitation 90 percent. West wind 10 mph. Low 23.
Saturday: Snow. Snow accumulation 3 inches. Probability of measurable precipitation 90 percent. West wind 16 mph. High 35.
Saturday Night: Snow. Snow accumulation 2 inches. Probability of measurable precipitation 70 percent. Northwest wind 15 mph. Low 16.

Avalanche Conditions:

Well, the avalanche game is about to get a little trickier.  A warm and wet storm is on our doorstep and we could see as much as a foot of new snow, with a high water content-this means a big load of weight which will be easily pushed around by the forecasted winds.  We also had this past weeks foot of fresh new snow, which fell on top of a widespread snow surface of weak and sugary snow.  What does this all add up to?  For this coming weekend we can expect an increasing avalanche danger, with a great combination of a strong and heavy layer about to get laid down on top of a lighter and weaker layer.  These are great ingredients for slab avalanches so keep your eyes open for changing weather conditions.  As of right now, with no new snow, the avalanche danger is MODERATE on shady NE-N-NW aspects steeper than 35 degrees, but with new snow and wind it will quickly rise to CONSIDERABLE.  Play safe and watch the weather as it starts to change!