Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Saturday - April 12, 2014 - 5:51am
bottom line

The danger of wet avalanches starts out as LOW this morning, but will rise to MODERATE with daytime heating. Both human triggered and natural avalanches are possible on steep, sun exposed slopes, especially during the heat of the day. Avoid terrain traps like gullies and road cuts where even a small slide can stack up huge piles of bone snapping debris.

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special announcement

Sunday April 13th will be the last of our regularly scheduled advisories for the 2013-14 season.
current conditions

High clouds are drifting into the area ahead of a cold front slated to impact the region overnight. In the meantime, temperatures are in the mid to upper 30's and westerly winds are blowing 15-30 mph along the ridges. The riding and turning conditions have taken a hard hit lately, especially at mid and lower elevations. Might be best to get some chores done today and get after it once tomorrow's storm slides through.

The heat is on and it's mud season on the eastern front.

Click here for current winds, temperatures, and snowfall throughout the range.

Click here for trip reports.
recent activity

It was sweltering yesterday. During the heat of the day, Ted spotted this wet avalanche fanning out near Reids Peak.

Archived avalanche activity is found here.
Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

It was a marginal refreeze last night and the bottom is falling out at mid and lower elevations. While cloud cover and winds may help to temper the natural avalanche activity, fact is, the sun is very intense this time of year. If you're feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass... so is the snowpack. A good rule of thumb is to get off and out from under steep, sun exposed slopes and avoid terrain traps like gullies, especially during the heat of the day.


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Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Overhanging cornices are fat and connected and have the possibility to break back further than you might expect.
weather

It'll be another warm day with temperatures rising into the upper 40's. Westerly winds gust into the 40's and clouds increase late in the day. A cold front moves into the area late tonight and temperatures crash into the 20's. A couple inches of snow should stack up on Sunday and then high pressure builds for early next week.
general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions.   You can call me directly at 801-231-2170, email [email protected], or email by clicking HERE

This is a great time of year to schedule a free avalanche awareness presentation for your group or club. You can contact me at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]

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The information in this advisory is from the US 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 7:00 AM on Sunday Apr. 13, 2014 or sooner if conditions warrant.