US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

 

 Introduction:

 Good Morning, this is Max Forgensi 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 Friday, December 23rd, 2005 at 7:45 a.m.   

 

To check out past advisories, go to ARCHIVE.  To check out the current, go to our WEATHER page. 

 

Current Conditions:

                Warm weather since the 21st and the chance we received some rain up on the Skyline has been changing the snow conditions.  Yesterday the high temperature reached 48 degrees at the Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL site.  Expect heavy snow and slushy roads.  Unfortunately, there isn’t enough snow to cover all the obstacles out in the meadows.  Snowmobiles have been hitting rocks just under the snow surface with bad results.  In conditions like these its good to carry insurance. 

 

Click the links below to find out up to date information at these weather stations on the Skyline. 

Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL (8,800’):  24.9” of snow on the ground.

Seeley Creek SNOTEL (10,000’):  There is 16.7” of snow on the ground.

 

Mountain Weather: 

Today...Breezy. Mostly cloudy with scattered rain and snow showers in the morning...Then partly cloudy with isolated snow showers in the afternoon. Highs at 8000 feet around 40. Northwest winds 15-25 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
Tonight...Mostly clear. Lows at 8000 feet near 20.
Saturday...Mostly sunny. Highs at 8000 feet around 40.

 

Avalanche Conditions: (Click here for the International Avalanche Danger Scale)

                Field observations on the 21st showed that we do have some weak layers at the upper elevations in the middle of the snow pack.  The 8” of snow we received on Monday December 19th, with the help of some strong winds out of the west has covered a weak layer of facets which formed during the last period of high pressure.  The snow from Monday has created a hard wind slab on North through East aspects anywhere from 12”-20” thick.  Stability tests yielded moderate shears on the interface between these two layers, which could react to a new load, i.e. a snowmobile, skier or from heavy rain.  On aspects, the warm weather and chance of rain could be allowing the snow to lose its cohesion…if the sun starts to poke out of the clouds be prepared for a rapid warm up.  The saving grace on our South through West aspects is the lack of significant snow on the ground.  Avalanches will be second to finding tiger traps in the form of bushes and deadfall. 

                The BOTTOM LINE for today is going to be an avalanche danger rating of MODERATE, especially on steep NW-N-NE aspects at the high elevations of the Skyline. 

 

                *The advisory is also available via recorded message at (800) 648-7433