US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

 

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, March 11thth, 2007 at 8:00 a.m.    

             

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

 

  

General Conditions:

               Another 1-2 inches along the Skyline Yesterday will slow, but not prevent the onset of spring conditions to more and more terrain on the Wasatch 
Plateau. There is still some dry, winter conditions out there on upper elevation NE through NW facing slopes for those powder hounds out there, but on other 
aspects the only powder will be what fell yesterday and even that will be heavy and wet. Today expect the start of what will be a long melt-freeze cycle that will 
leave us with hard snow in the morning and soft mush in the afternoon. For us skiers and snowboarders, this means nice spring conditions if we can get out on
 the “corn snow” before it gets too mushy. Bring the sunscreen this week. 
 

Mountain Weather:

Today: Mostly sunny. Highs at 8000 feet around 50.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows at 8000 feet in the upper 20s.
Monday: Mostly sunny. Warmer. Highs at 8000 feet in the lower 60s.
Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows at 8000 feet in the lower 30s.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 50s.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Weather Station/ Location

Snow Depth (HS):  in./cm

New Snow (HN) in./cm

7:00 a.m. Temp (F)

Current Observations:  Wind, 48 hour snow

Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL (8,800’):

36.4”

2”

20

Heavy, wet new snow

Seeley Creek SNOTEL (10,000’):

24.0”

1”

27.5

Winds moderate WSW

Candland Peak

46.7”

trace”

23.4

10 MPH NW

Miller Flat Trailhead: 

43”

2”

~

Spring

 

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

            The spring warm-up will begin in earnest today with temperatures reaching into the low 50’s today at 8000 ft. We are calling the avalanche danger MODERATE, meaning that human triggered avalanches are possible. The biggest danger is wet loose and wet slab avalanches that are possible with extreme daytime warming on sunny slopes with today’s forecasted temperature rise. This danger will be further increased this week in areas that don’t freeze overnight. Another possibility is deep slab avalanches due to the extremely weak underlying snow pack we have along the Skyline and many other parts of the state this year. There were sustained winds out of the west yesterday also and a little new snow which always means sensitive cornice build up along the Wasatch Plateau. So, heads up for that as well. As always, practice safe travel protocols, ski and ride one at a time, stay clear of avalanche run out zones, and ride some smaller test hills before center punching the big stuff.