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!