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 November 27,2004

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 Saturday, November 27, 2004 and it’s 7:00 a.m.

Announcements:

We have installed a weather station in the Moffit Peak area. Click here to see temperatures and wind data.

Many thanks go out to the Utah Snowmobile Association for their generous contributions.

Current conditions:

Skies are mostly cloudy, winds are starting to switch to the southwest, and temperatures are on the rise. All of this in advance of a pretty strong storm system headed our way. Currently it’s in the mid teens at 8,000’ and near 10 degrees along the highest peaks. Winds are light and westerly blowing at speeds of 5-10 mph along the ridges.

The riding and sliding conditions are limited to the upper elevations and are quite good, but be aware there’s still plenty of natural obstacles barley hidden and the snowpack is relatively thin.

Avalanche Conditions:

Yesterday’s blustery winds were able to move a lot of snow around and created plenty of sensitive, new wind drifts. Small, wind loaded test slopes were avalanching with my additional weight and many slopes were collapsing and whumphing. These shallow slabs are pretty manageable, but the real concern is the harder slab that formed along the upper elevation leeward slopes. These denser, hollow sounding slabs, are allowing riders to get a little further out on the slope before they fail and avalanche. Today you’ll want to continue to avoid any steep slope with recent deposits of wind-drifted snow.

While I didn’t see or hear of any natural avalanche activity within the range, I think it’s because the snowpack needs just a little more weight to get things rocking and rolling. That additional weight will probably be here in the form of a vigorous storm system poised to slam the state in the next 24 hours. Be aware of a rising avalanche danger, especially if the weather forecast verifies. Remember, clues such as shooting cracks around your machine or skis as well as loud, booming collapses are great indicators to unstable snow.

Finally, many avalanche accidents and close calls occur early in the season when our avalanche radar isn’t quite tuned in yet. So if your planning to get out on the snow in the next few days make sure you have all the necessary avalanche safety equipment. You need to have avalanche beacons, shovels, and probes and you need to know how to use them. Also if you’re nosing into steep avalanche terrain practice your safe travel techniques. Only expose one person to danger, keep an eye on your partner, and get out of the way and into a safe location at the bottom of the slope.

Bottom Line:

The avalanche danger is MODERATE today on all slopes steeper than about 35 degrees with recent deposits of wind drifted snow and human triggered avalanche are possible.

While not widespread, be aware that there are pockets of CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger, especially above tree line, on steep, wind-loaded slopes. Human triggered avalanches are probable and natural avalanches possible in this type of terrain.

In wind sheltered terrain the avalanche danger is generally LOW.

Mountain Weather:

There’s a snow advisory in effect for the western Uinta Mountains. Skies will be mostly cloudy and snow should begin to develop by late morning as a large and very cold winter storm will intensify over the region. The heaviest snow is expected to fall late this afternoon and evening and we could see a foot of new snow by Sunday morning. It’s going to be a little warmer out there today with high temperatures at 8,000’ in the mid 20’s and at 10,000’ in the upper teens. Overnight lows will be in the single digits. Winds will be out of the southwest today shifting to the west by afternoon and eventually turn northwest this evening. Wind speeds along the ridges should remain in the 10-20 mph range.

General Information:

We’re interested in what you’re seeing especially if you observe or trigger an avalanche. Call 1-800-662-4140, or 801-231-2170, or email to [email protected] or fax to 801-524-6301 and fill us in with all the details.

If you’d like to schedule a free snowmobile specific avalanche 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 Nov.28, 2004.

Thanks for calling!