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.

  

 

 

Avalanche ADVISORY

wednesDAY decemBER 6, 2006

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time it’s issued, and will be updated Saturday December 9, 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 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 and it’s about 7:00 in the morning. Avalanche advisories for the western Uinta’s 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 801-231-2170, or email at [email protected] and fill me in with all the details. 

 

Current Conditions:

Strong high pressure has developed over the region producing beautiful spring-like weather in the mountains. Currently, temperatures are in the mid 20’s along the ridges and down at the trailheads. Winds are blowing out of the west-northwest with hourly averages in the teens and gusts in the low 30’s at the most exposed locations. While there’s no new snow to speak of, the riding and sliding conditions remain surprisingly good. Your best bet these days is in upper elevation northerly facing terrain where the base is mostly supportable and the surface snow is a mix of surface hoar and loud recycled powder.

 

Avalanche Conditions:

Lately I feel like the Maytag repairman waiting for a phone call. Quite frankly, there’s just not a whole lot going on in the avalanche business right now. In general the snowpack has become weary and limp, just like a snapped rubber band. While it waits for the next storm to come along before it springs back into action, the surface snow continues to weaken. As a matter of fact in just the past few days I’ve been surprised at the rapid rate in which the snow’s surface has grown weak, loose and sugary. And by now I’m sure you know the drill- avalanche conditions will get tricky once winter returns.

While the avalanche danger is mostly low throughout the range, be aware the winds have been blowing at the upper elevations for the past few days and there may be a shallow wind slab or two that could be sensitive to the weight of a rider.

 

Bottom Line:

On most slopes throughout the range the avalanche danger is generally LOW.

However, while very isolated to steep terrain above tree line, there are pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees facing the north half of the compass, especially those with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. A MODERATE avalanche danger means human triggered avalanches are possible.

 

Mountain Weather:

The ridge of high pressure camps out in the region today and Thursday and a very mild southwest flow develops Friday ahead of a weakening storm. Temperatures will remain mild throughout the rest of the week with highs at 8,000’ in the low to mid 40’s and at 10,000’ near freezing. Overnight lows drop into the low 20’s. Winds will be out of the west-northwest blowing 10-20 mph with an occasional stronger gust along the highest ridges, but they should quiet down throughout the day and remain light on Thursday as well. Friday we should see a big warm up prior to a weakening system forecast to affect the area Saturday morning. Unfortunately storm totals look meager, but we may have a little better shot of snow Sunday and Sunday night.

 

Announcements:

The Moffit Peak weather station is being moved to a more representative location and we hope to have it up and running next week.

 

Free avalanche awareness classes are available. Give me a call at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected] and get one scheduled before the season gets too crazy!

 
If any terms confuse you, take a look at our new avalanche encyclopedia.

 

For avalanche photos click here.

 

General Information: 

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’ll update this advisory by 7:30 am on Saturday December 9, 2006.

This advisory is also available by calling 1-800-648-7433 or

1-888-999-4019.

 

 

 

 

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