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Good morning, this Max Forgensi
with the 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 |
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General Conditions: This weekend has been plagued by
near-misses and two fatalities in Utah due to avalanche accidents. Keep vigilant out there! With 4” of snow falling last night in
the southern half of the Skyline and more to blanket the entire range, we are
not out of this dangerous winter storm.
We are issuing a SPECIAL
AVALANCHE STATEMENT for the Wasatch
Plateau/Manti-Skyline Region for the President’s Day weekend. Please Read!!!!!! Be especially careful when traveling in
avalanche terrain this weekend.
The first big storm of the season is going to bring increased usage to
the back country. Storm totals
of over 12”, rapid cornice development and active wind-loading on leeward
slopes and ridges make this a HEADS UP SITUATION. Ensure that you do not fall into human traps such as
“powder fever” and “scarcity”.
This will be tough to do, as this weekend will have the best
conditions of the season to date.
Realize this: A few
seconds of bliss is not worth losing your life. Traveling in avalanche terrain is not recommended for
users who don’t have formal avalanche training. Do not approach cornices, stay away from the run-out zones
of avalanche paths and travel one at a time in avalanche terrain. Sunny skies and new snow make it
difficult to realize that there are hazards out there that could ruin your
day.
Mountain Weather: Today: Snow. Snow accumulation 4 inches. Probability of measurable
precipitation 100 percent. West wind 16 mph. High 25. |
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Weather Station/ Location |
Snow Depth (HS):
in./cm |
New Snow (HN) in./cm |
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Current Observations:
Wind, 48 hour snow |
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Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL (8,800’): |
31” |
2” |
28 |
Powder! |
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24” |
4” |
25.5 |
Winds out of the W at 19 gust to 27 |
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Wx down |
Wx down |
Wx down |
Wx down |
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Miller
Flat Trailhead: |
40” |
0” |
~ |
Powder! |
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Avalanche Conditions:
(Click here
for the International Avalanche Danger Scale) After
a brief respite yesterday and temperatures creeping over freezing for a few
hours, winter has set its maw back into the Manti-Skyline. Active cornice development and wind
loading on leeward sides of slopes and ridges will be going on throughout the
day. The winds have picked up
again for 10 hours and there is literally tons of snow to transport. Snow is always changing, and advice
that I gave you yesterday no longer applies. There has been a boom in the avalanche dragon population
again. Slopes that were safer
yesterday now have new loads to contend with. Avalanche Paths that did not slide from the first storm
will be tested again…avalanches will be larger and more destructive in areas
that have yet to slide. DO NOT
LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!!!
The BOTTOM LINE for
today will be an AVALANCHE DANGER of CONSIDERABLE on all aspects where recent slabs and sensitive
cornices have been deposited. This will
especially be true in the steep alpine bowls south of State highway 31.
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