Wasatch Cache and Uinta National Forests

In partnership with: Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center, Utah State Parks, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center,

Tri-City Performance, Polaris, the Utah Snowmobile Association, the National Weather Service, BRORA, and Backcountry Access.

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Avalanche advisory

sundAY march 19, 2006

This advisory expires 24 hours from the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:30 am wednesday march 22, 2006.

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 March 19, 2006 and it’s 7:00 a.m. Avalanche advisories for the western Uintas are available on Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and all holidays.

This advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to Mirror Lake, to the North Slope of the western Uinta Mountains. That’s a lot of turf and I can’t be in all of these places at once. Your snow and avalanche observations are critical to this program and help to save other riders lives by getting accurate information out to the public. I’m interested in what you’re seeing especially if you see or trigger an avalanche. Please call 1-800-662-4140, or 801-231-2170, or email to [email protected] and fill us in with all the details.

Current Conditions:

Overnight snow totals are a bit disappointing in the 1”-3” range, but over on the east side it’s been dumping and storm totals are stacking up to around 15”. While I don’t usually include this part of the range in the western Uinta advisory, I’d hazard to guess given the weaker snowpack the avalanche danger will be more pronounced in these areas. Closer to home… temperatures remained fairly mild overnight and currently at 8,000’ it’s in the low to mid 20’s and just about 13 degrees at 11,000’. Winds are virtually nonexistent, blowing less than 10 mph even along the most exposed ridgelines. The riding and sliding conditions got a little manky and damp at lower elevations yesterday, but up above 9,500’ you’ll find cold, dry powder especially on sheltered shady slopes.

Avalanche Conditions:

Looking outside my window this morning I would’ve expected to see my neighbors building Arks and counting animals. Yea, it was raining that hard! While March madness is in full swing here in the valley, it’s having a hard time getting to the mountains this morning because the winds are so light they’re not giving the storm much in the way of dynamics or lift. I’d suspect most of this morning’s avalanche activity will be within the new snow, producing manageable soft slabs up high and new snow sluffs on steep, sheltered slopes. Take care that one of these manageable avalanches doesn’t become unmanageable and takes you for a ride over a cliff, into a group of trees or buries you in a terrain trap such as a gully. Today you’ll need to be alert to changing weather and snow conditions. Should the snow start to stack up or the winds increase in intensity you can expect the avalanche danger to rise as the snow becomes more sensitive to the weight of a backcountry traveler.

Bottom Line:

The avalanche danger in upper elevation terrain near and above tree-line, is MODERATE today on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees. Human triggered avalanches are possible. Should the forecast verify the avalanche danger will rise to CONSIDERABLE in this type of terrain, meaning human triggered avalanches will be probable, natural avalanches possible.

At mid and low elevations in wind sheltered terrain the snowpack is mostly stable and the avalanche danger is generally LOW.

On the eastern side of the range in areas that received a foot or more of new snow, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on slopes steeper than 35 degrees, especially those with recent wind drifts. Human triggered avalanches are probable.

Mountain Weather:

The National Weather Service is still calling for a heavy snow warning for the area and forecasted amounts for today through tonight are in the 7”-14” range. Temperatures will be mild with highs at 8,000’ in the mid to upper 20’s and at 10,000’ near 20 degrees. Overnight lows dip into the mid teens. Winds will be light and generally from the east, blowing less than 10 mph along the ridges and should shift to the northwest later in the day with a few stronger gusts. Mostly cloudy skies are expected for Monday with another system on tap developing late in the day and lingering through Wednesday. Winds are expected to get stronger with this next storm which could make for some interesting avalanche conditions.

Announcements:

 
If any terms confuse you, take a look at our new avalanche encyclopedia.
 
“Beacon Basin” is good to go and ready to use at the Noblett’s Trailhead. While you’re waiting for your partners 
to gear up, swing by and test your avalanche beacon skills. It’s free and easily accessible from the parking lot. A big thanks 
goes out to members of the Utah Snowmobile Association for assisting in the installation and to Backcountry Access for 
providing all the gear. 
 
A special thanks to Tri-City Performance, Polaris and The Utah Snowmobile Association for stepping up to the plate 
and partnering to provide a new sled for the Utah Avalanche Center’s western Uinta avalanche forecasting program. 
 
The Moffit Peak weather station is up and running. This site was made possible through generous donations
by BRORA, The Utah Snowmobile Association, and the National Weather Service. You can view data by clicking here.

For avalanche photos click here.

General Information:

If you haven’t taken one of our free snowmobile specific avalanche awareness classes, schedule one now before things get too crazy. Give me a call at 801-231-2170 and I’d be happy to tailor a talk for your group.

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.

This advisory expires 24 hours from the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:30 am on Wednesday March 22, 2006.

Thanks for calling!