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 Saturday, December 24th, 2005 at 7:30 a.m.   

 

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

 

Current Conditions:

                High pressure builds in Utah today and into tomorrow but then starts to slide east of the state by Sunday night, leaving Utah exposed to a series of weak disturbances early next week that favor the Central and Southern mountains of Utah.  The temperatures currently are more winter-like and there is plenty of snow on the Skyline to enjoy your favorite winter recreation activity.  There is 30” of snow at the Miller Flat Trailhead this morning.  It appears that the Skyline received a trace of snow in most areas yesterday. 

 

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

Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL (8,800’):  25.6” of snow on the ground, 23 degrees at 6:00 a.m.

Seeley Creek SNOTEL (10,000’):  There is 17.3” of snow on the ground, 27 degrees at 6:00 a.m.

 

Mountain Weather: 

Today...Mostly sunny. Highs at 8000 feet around 40.
Tonight...Mostly clear. Lows at 8000 feet in the mid 20s.
Christmas Day...Becoming partly cloudy. Highs at 8000 feet in the lower 40s.
Sunday Night...Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Lows at 8000 feet in the mid 20s.

 

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 or skier.  On South through West aspects, the past warm weather and the lack of significant snow on the ground is limiting the avalanche danger and 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, on steep NW-N-NE aspects at the high elevations of the Skyline.  The rest of the range will have an avalanche danger rating of LOW. 

 

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