In partnership with:
Tri-City Performance, Polaris, the
.
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
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:
Southerly winds started cranking early this morning in advance of a
Pacific storm which is slated to arrive late tonight. Along the upper elevation
ridges, hourly averages are in the 20’s with gusts in the low 30’s. Currently
at 8,000’ temperatures are in the upper 20’s and along the higher elevation
peaks at 11,000’ it’s 25 degrees. No new snow has fallen since the mid week
storm, but surprisingly good riding and turning conditions still exist on
sheltered mid and upper elevation shady slopes.
Avalanche Conditions:
It will be a tale of two snowpacks today with two distinctly different avalanche
problems to be on the lookout for. First off, up high there is still enough
fluffy snow to blow around and today’s strong winds will have no problem
finding it and whipping up fresh wind drifts along the leeward side of ridges
and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. I’d suspect as the day
wares on, stubborn hard
slabs will form in the wind zone at the upper elevations and they have the possibility
of breaking both above you and a little wider than you might think. Avoid steep
slopes with rounded, chalky looking drifts especially those that feel hollow or
have a drum-like sound to them.
The second avalanche concern will be wet
avalanches on steep slopes at all elevations. With a marginal snowpack
refreeze overnight, especially at lower elevations, it’s not going to take much
heating in order to make the snow damp and sloppy. While the mixture of strong
winds and increasing clouds may help to temper today’s wet avalanche activity,
remember- if the snow you’re on is getting wet and gloppy,
simply switch to a cooler aspect to avoid triggering a wet slide or sluff. In
addition, avoid terrain traps such as gullies especially during the heat of the
day, where wet heavy, cement-like avalanche debris can pile up deeply.
Bottom Line:
The avalanche danger in upper elevation terrain
near and above tree-line, is MODERATE today on
slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, especially those with recent deposits of
wind drifted snow. Human triggered avalanches are possible.
The danger of wet
avalanches will rise to MODERATE today at all elevations on steep, sun
exposed slopes during the heat of the day.
Mountain Weather:
Increasing clouds, strong winds and mild temperatures
are on tap today, all ahead of a strong cold front which should give us a
decent shot of snow lingering into Sunday morning. South winds will be the big
issue today and they’ll be very strong by this afternoon, with gusts into the 60’s
along the ridges. Highs today at 8,000’ will be in the low to mid 40’s and at
10,000’ near 35 degrees. Lightening is a possibility when the cold front
arrives late tonight and temperatures will crash into the mid teens. Winds
should shift to the west around
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
Thanks for
calling!