US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

Introduction:

Good morning, this is Dave Medara 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 12th, 2006, at 8:00 am.

If you have been out in the backcountry, please post your OBSERVATIONS with us!

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

If you would like to see some SNOWPIT profiles, click the link…and more to come.

Current Conditions:

Snow advisory continued until 5 am Monday. 12-14 inches of new snow and have fallen on the northern reaches of the Manti Skyline. Even more snow has fallen farther south. Farnsworth Lake snotel site is showing about 18” of new snow since last Wednesday. Fantastic powder conditions are being reported from the Plateau yesterday. It is very cold out on the Plateau this morning so dress appropriately.

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

Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL (8,800’): 59” of snow on the ground. It is 11 degrees out at 7:00 am.

Seeley Creek SNOTEL (10,000’): There is 48” of snow on the ground. It is 7 degrees out at 7:00 am.

There is about 64” of snow on the ground at the Miller Flat Trailhead.

Mountain Weather:

Today...Snow showers. Accumulation 2-5 inches. Highs at 8000 feet in the lower 20s.
Tonight...Snow showers. Accumulation 2-5 inches. Lows at 8000 feet 5 to 10 above.
Monday...Snow showers likely in the morning...Then a chance of snow showers in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy. Accumulation 1 inch. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 20s. Chance of snow 60 percent.

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

We’ve had 12-14 inches of snow in the north zone of the plateau and even more in the south. This snow has fallen in a dense layer, with densities in the 8-10 percent range (this is pretty heavy) but has gotten a bit lighter towards the weekend. . Three days ago, there were reports of human triggered avalanches from our observer Darce Trotter. Precipitation rates have decreased and we’ve had quite a bit of settlement in the new snow which should have a stabilizing effect. Today, we are calling the avalanche danger MODERATE, on all steep slopes of the Wasatch Plateau. Danger zones are upper elevation, E – NW facing slopes or anywhere else with significant wind loading. Cornice falls are another potential problem. We will update this message next Friday. Thanks for checking in.

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