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

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. Today is Sunday, February 8, 2004 and it’s 7:30 a.m.

Current conditions:

Light snow is still falling and so far it looks like we’ve received close to 6” of new snow. Temperatures plummeted overnight with the arrival of a cold front and currently it’s 6 degrees at 10,000’. Winds have switched to the northwest and hourly wind speed averages are in the teens with gusts in the mid 20’s at the most exposed locations. Riding and turning conditions vary with elevation and the more wind-exposed locations have been worked by the wind for the past two days. Your best bet for soft settled powder would be on mid elevation, wind sheltered slopes.

Avalanche Conditions:

Winds have been the big story the past few days and yesterday was no exception. Prior to the storm arriving, southerly winds were strong at the upper elevations blowing lots of snow around, forming wind drifts especially on the leeward side of ridgelines. Yesterday I was finding these wind slabs to be fairly stubborn, though with a well-placed slope cut you’d be able to start small, pockety avalanches on steep slopes. One of our observers on the North Slope reported similar conditions as well with a few skier triggered soft slabs, which averaged about a foot in depth.

Today, however, will be a little trickier as a fresh round of sensitive wind drifts have formed overnight and these are hiding the slabs created yesterday. Since the winds have been from a variety of directions the past two days you’ll most likely find that wind drifts have formed in some unusual locations. So before committing to a steep slope, make sure to get as much information about the stability of the snow by testing small slopes where the consequences are minimal. Also be on the lookout for the usual signs of instability such as cracking around your skis or machine. In addition, cornices are beginning to build and may break back a little further than you might expect.

In steep, wind sheltered terrain the new snow will be sluffing easily today and may entrain more snow as it descends the slope. Take care that one doesn’t knock you off your skis or machine or take you for an unsuspecting ride over a cliff or into a group of trees.

Bottom Line:

The avalanche danger is MODERATE today, at and above timberline, on all slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, with recent deposits of wind-drifted snow. Human triggered avalanches are possible.

At mid elevations in steep, wind sheltered terrain on slopes approaching 40 degrees the avalanche danger is MODERATE today with the biggest concern being loose, new snow sluffs.

At low elevations and in wind-protected terrain on slopes less steep than 35 degrees the avalanche danger is generally LOW.

Mountain Weather:

A weak ridge of high pressure will begin to move over the region today and snow will begin to taper off by about midday, though we’ll probably see another couple of inches before it’s all said and done. Temperatures will be on the cold side today with highs at 10,000’ near 5 degrees and at 8,000’ in the mid teens. Overnight lows will be near zero. Northwest winds will be blowing at speeds of 15-25 mph along the ridges this morning and should be diminishing throughout the day. We’ll remain in a somewhat moist, northerly flow early in the week giving us a chance of snow through Tuesday. By midweek it should start to dry out and temperatures will slowly warm.

General Information:

We can always use snow and avalanche information and your snowpack and avalanche observations could help to save someone’s life. If you see or trigger an avalanche give us a call at 801-231-2170 or 1-800-662-4140.

Also, if you’d like to schedule a free avalanche awareness talk and/or field day give us a call at 801-524-5304.

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 Wednesday, Feb.11, 2004.

Thanks for calling.