Wasatch Cache and Uinta National Forests
In partnership with: Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center and Utah State Parks.
Avalanche advisory
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Good Morning. This is Craig
Gordon with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your avalanche and
mountain weather advisory for the western Uinta Mountains including but not
limited to the terrain surrounding Chalk Creek, Smith-Moorehouse, the Mirror Lake
Highway, and Woodland. Recent observations near Daniels and on the Evanston
side of the range indicate similar snowpack conditions.
This
advisory is made possible through a generous grant provided by Utah State Parks
and will be available for the rest of the winter on weekends and holidays.
Today
is Saturday, March 15, 2003, and it’s 7:30 in the morning.
Current Conditions:
Skies cleared out last night
allowing a decent refreeze of the snowpack, though temperatures are already on
the rebound this morning. As of 6:00 it’s in the upper 20’s at most mountaintop
locations. Southerly winds are on the rise as well with hourly wind speed
averages in the 20’s and gusts in the 40’s at the more exposed locations.
Yesterday’s fast moving system deposited 3” of new snow along the upper elevations;
unfortunately rain was reported below about 8,000’. It’s a mixed bag of snow
conditions out there ranging from breakable wind slab to semi supportable sun
crusts. However, soft settled powder conditions can still be found on protected
shady slopes.
Avalanche Conditions:
Spring, sprung in earnest
this past week and the warm temperatures the region experienced has enabled the
snowpack to strengthen and adjust to last weekends snow and wind event. I didn’t
see or hear of any new dry snow avalanches this past week and that’s always an
encouraging sign. However, snowpit stability tests performed in areas that have
a hard slab resting on top of facets, still indicate that it would be possible
to trigger an avalanche that could fail on weak snow near the ground. While it’s
going to take a larger trigger, such as several snowmobiles on the slope at the
same time, I’d continue to be leery of steep terrain with a weak underlying
snowpack. Steep, rocky slopes and
breakovers fit this description.
Remember that the sun is high
in the sky these days and it’s having an effect on all slope aspects. A number
of wet slab avalanches have occurred as a result of afternoon heating this past
week. Should the skies remain clear for a sustained period of time today the
avalanche danger will increase on steep, sun-exposed aspects. You’ll want to
get off of and out from under steep, sunny slopes as the day progresses.
Finally, though yesterday’s storm
totals were fairly negligible the wind has been strong enough to create pockets
of wind-drifted snow along the upper elevation leeward terrain. While shallow
in nature these drifts could be sensitive to the added weight of a backcountry
traveler.
.
Bottom Line:
The avalanche danger is MODERATE
or localized today on all slopes approaching about 40 degrees in
steepness.
Human triggered avalanches
are possible especially on rocky slopes with a weak, shallow snowpack.
On slopes less steep than
about 40 degrees the avalanche danger is generally LOW.
Be aware that the avalanche
danger could bump up a notch on all steep slopes as temperatures rise
throughout the day.
Mountain Weather:
A strong southwest flow will
precede a storm system scheduled to arrive late tonight. Today we can expect
increasing clouds, mild temperatures and strong winds. High temperatures today
will be in the mid 40’s at 8,000’ and in the upper 30’s at 10,000’. Overnight
lows will dip into the mid 20’s. Winds will be out of the southwest at speeds
of 20-30 mph with gusts in the 50’s along the upper elevation ridges. Snow
showers should begin late tonight with the bulk of the precipitation arriving
early in the day on Sunday and we could wind up with 6”-10” of snow out of this
system. It looks like the weather stays unsettled into the early part of next
week.
General Information:
If you’re getting out and
about please let us know what you’re seeing, especially if you see or trigger
an avalanche. Call 1-800-662-4140, or 801-231-2170, or email to [email protected] or fax to 801-524-6301.
Your observations could help to save someone’s life. I’ve received some great
observations this past week and thanks to those of you who called in with
timely snowpack and avalanche information. Please keep them coming!
We will be offering free
snowmobile specific avalanche education this year. To schedule a talk and or a
field day please call 801-231-2170.
The information in this
advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its
content.
This advisory describes
general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
I will update this advisory
by 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 16, 2003.
Thanks for calling!