US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

Snow, Weather and Avalanche Advisory

 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 of Utah State Parks and the USFS. Today is Sunday, March 13th, 2005 at 7:30 am.

Current Conditions:

Hopefully our big march madness meltdown has ended, and the snow will stick around a little longer. Skies are clear and the snowpack will be frozen up pretty firm today with overnight lows in the teens and highs expected to be near 30. You might try SE-S-SW aspects that are sheltered from the wind for softer snow conditions as the day heats up, but don’t expect too much of a corn cycle. The roads and parking lots are in great shape as well.

Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL: 43” of snow on the ground. It is 13.5 degrees at 6 am.

Miller Flat Trailhead: There is 35” of snow on the ground.

Seeley Creek SNOTEL: There is 42” of snow on the ground. It is 18 degrees right now.

Mountain Weather:

Temperatures have dropped about 10-15 degrees, but there is no real precip expected for a little while still.

Today...Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Breezy...Colder. Highs at 8000 feet around 30. Northwest winds 15-25 mph.
Tonight...Breezy. Partly cloudy in the evening...Then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow after midnight. Lows at 8000 feet 15-20. Northwest winds 15-25 mph.
Monday...Breezy. Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of snow showers. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 20s. West winds 15-25 mph late morning through afternoon

Avalanche Conditions:

Well the snowpack is now locked up tight by the cold weather, and the only few places where you can expect avalanche activity might be an extremely low elevation sunny aspect, but those don’t have too much snow on them. So essentially, the avalanche danger has been frozen in time at LOW for today. Be careful on the slick snow surfaces, and don’t be surprised by the very odd small and shallow wind slab pocket that may be hiding out in the steep and shady upper elevation areas.