US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

Introduction:

Good morning, this 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, December 9th, 2006, at 7:30 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 weather, go to our WEATHER page.  

For more information on snowmobiling on the Skyline, click this LINK

 

Current Conditions:

                 A lackluster start to the season so far. There is a shallow base of weak faceted snow on the ground with variable crusts depending on how much sun a given slope has been getting. It is not a pretty picture out there. Ground hazard is the biggest problem out there on the skyline right now, not avalanches. There is just over a foot of snow at each of our three study plots. The clouds moving into our area right now will hopefully bring some new snow and clear out the valley inversions.  We are currently at 80-90 percent of normal snowfall along the Skyline.

 

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

Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL (8,800’):  17.” on the ground, 22 degrees out @ 7:00 a.m.

Seeley Creek SNOTEL (10,000’):   13” on the ground , winds are light SE, 14 degrees @ 7:00 a.m.

Miller Flat Trailhead:  16” of snow on the ground   

 

Mountain Weather:

Today: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs at 8000 feet in the upper 30s.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of snow after
midnight. Lows at 8000 feet in the lower 20s.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy with snow likely. Colder. Accumulation 3 to 5 inches. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 20s. Chance of snow 60 percent.
Sunday night: Mostly cloudy with snow likely. Accumulations possible. Lows at 8000 feet near 15. Chance of snow 60 percent.
Monday: A chance of snow in the morning...then a slight chance of snow showers in the afternoon. Partly cloudy. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 20s. Chance of snow 40 percent.

 

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

            There were no observed avalanches on the Skyline last week. Cornice falls observed failed to release slabs on the slopes below.  A snowpit dug on a Northeast aspect at 9,400’ showed some mighty weak snow with the lower half nothing being but weak, faceted crystals.  The upper snowpack has been sitting around under this high pressure losing it’s cohesion as well. Stability tests resulted in very easy shears and enough energy to propagate into avalanches.  What is missing in this equation is not enough of a stress (read: new snow load) to get avalanches to fracture.  THE POINT TO TAKE HOME IS:  The Manti-Skyline has a very weak snow pack that is just waiting for another storm to tip the scales into a widespread avalanche cycle. Careful on Sunday if we get much of a new snow load! For today, the Avalanche Danger for the Manti-Skyline will be LOW on all aspects.  We will update this message tomorrow morning, thanks for checking in.

 

 

The advisory is also available via recorded message at (888) 999-4019 option 6 or at (800) 648-7433 (OHV-RIDE)