Utah Avalanche Center
New member
March 12, 2007 - 6:19 am
SUMMARY >>> Danger by
ASPECT & ELEVATION
BOTTOM LINE
on slopes over 35 degrees
The danger of wet sluff and slab avalanches will rise to CONSIDERABLE today with daytime warming on the sun-exposed slopes. The danger of triggering a remnant soft slab or deeper slab remains MODERATE, although the consequences for the two are miles apart. Remotely triggered slides remain possible.
Forecaster: Drew Hardesty LINKS: -Danger scale- -Encyclopedia- -Text only- CURRENT CONDITIONS >>> LINKS TO MORE INFO: NWS SNOW PAGESNOTEL MAP
Overnight lows were in the mid-to-low 30s, but the radiational cooling will have provided at least a superficial refreeze. Highs today will burst the 50 degree bubble at 8000, so the window for the sunny slopes will be tight this morning. Winds remain generally light and northwesterly. High north remains dry with everything else crusted. Skin wax and a sun bonnet are required.
RECENT AVALANCHES AND SNOWPACK INFO >>> LINKS TO MORE INFO
AVALANCHE LISTPHOTOSACCIDENTSSNOW PROFILES One party triggered a couple soft slabs in upper elevation southeast facing terrain along the Alta perimeter yesterday. Each was reported to be up to two feet deep and 200 wide, though no one was caught. There was also a report of another natural slab avalanche high in the Cutler Basin beneath Willard Peak in the Ogden area mountains, the second in two days in high southeast facing terrain. Reported widths were up to 300 wide, though details were sketchy. Lastly, the media reported a long running skier-triggered wet avalanche down onto the Superior apron above Little Cottonwood Canyon during the warmest part of the day. Interesting.
AVALANCHE CONCERNS >>> WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND Likely
Unlikely Large
Small Increasing
Danger Same Decreasing
Danger over the next 8 hrs As daytime highs march toward the mid 40s at 10,000 and upper 50s at 8000, wet activity will become the rule and not the exception. Plan accordingly so you dont find yourself in steep sun-exposed, unsupportable glop in the middle of the day. Shallow wet slabs up to 10" will easily be triggered from other wet sluffs or human activity.
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND Likely
Unlikely Large
Small Increasing
Danger Same Decreasing
Danger over the next 24 hrs With overnight lows a full 10-15 degrees warmer than yesterday, itll still be possible to pop out a remnant wind drift in steep easterly terrain. Slow warming tends to increase bonding and sintering in the snow, but rapid warming tends to offset this through increased shear stress between the bonds. Persistent slabs up to 3-4 deep may still be triggered in isolated steep, relatively shallow, rocky terrain on west through north through easterly facing aspects.
MOUNTAIN WEATHER >>> LINKS TO MORE INFO
UAC COMPILATION
NWS ZONAL FORECAST
SEASONAL Wx CHARTS Well have sunny skies, light westerly winds, and soaring temperatures. A weak cold front pushes through Wednesday to scale back temps a bit, then were back in the spring cycle. No storms as far as the eye can see.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS >>> Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in American Fork and the Cascade Ridgeline. Today, theyll return with a home run in White Pine. For more info, call 742-2800.
The UAC and ACE are offering a day long Womens Avalanche Awareness class at Alta on March 22nd covering beacon use and basic safe travel, terrain and snowpack information, for a nominal fee. For more details go to: www.altaarts.org.
uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)Brett Kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Tuesday morning, and thanks for calling.
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 provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with: Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County
The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.
SUMMARY >>> Danger by
ASPECT & ELEVATION
BOTTOM LINE
on slopes over 35 degrees
The danger of wet sluff and slab avalanches will rise to CONSIDERABLE today with daytime warming on the sun-exposed slopes. The danger of triggering a remnant soft slab or deeper slab remains MODERATE, although the consequences for the two are miles apart. Remotely triggered slides remain possible.
Forecaster: Drew Hardesty LINKS: -Danger scale- -Encyclopedia- -Text only- CURRENT CONDITIONS >>> LINKS TO MORE INFO: NWS SNOW PAGESNOTEL MAP
Overnight lows were in the mid-to-low 30s, but the radiational cooling will have provided at least a superficial refreeze. Highs today will burst the 50 degree bubble at 8000, so the window for the sunny slopes will be tight this morning. Winds remain generally light and northwesterly. High north remains dry with everything else crusted. Skin wax and a sun bonnet are required.
RECENT AVALANCHES AND SNOWPACK INFO >>> LINKS TO MORE INFO
AVALANCHE LISTPHOTOSACCIDENTSSNOW PROFILES One party triggered a couple soft slabs in upper elevation southeast facing terrain along the Alta perimeter yesterday. Each was reported to be up to two feet deep and 200 wide, though no one was caught. There was also a report of another natural slab avalanche high in the Cutler Basin beneath Willard Peak in the Ogden area mountains, the second in two days in high southeast facing terrain. Reported widths were up to 300 wide, though details were sketchy. Lastly, the media reported a long running skier-triggered wet avalanche down onto the Superior apron above Little Cottonwood Canyon during the warmest part of the day. Interesting.
AVALANCHE CONCERNS >>> WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND Likely
Unlikely Large
Small Increasing
Danger Same Decreasing
Danger over the next 8 hrs As daytime highs march toward the mid 40s at 10,000 and upper 50s at 8000, wet activity will become the rule and not the exception. Plan accordingly so you dont find yourself in steep sun-exposed, unsupportable glop in the middle of the day. Shallow wet slabs up to 10" will easily be triggered from other wet sluffs or human activity.
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND Likely
Unlikely Large
Small Increasing
Danger Same Decreasing
Danger over the next 24 hrs With overnight lows a full 10-15 degrees warmer than yesterday, itll still be possible to pop out a remnant wind drift in steep easterly terrain. Slow warming tends to increase bonding and sintering in the snow, but rapid warming tends to offset this through increased shear stress between the bonds. Persistent slabs up to 3-4 deep may still be triggered in isolated steep, relatively shallow, rocky terrain on west through north through easterly facing aspects.
MOUNTAIN WEATHER >>> LINKS TO MORE INFO
UAC COMPILATION
NWS ZONAL FORECAST
SEASONAL Wx CHARTS Well have sunny skies, light westerly winds, and soaring temperatures. A weak cold front pushes through Wednesday to scale back temps a bit, then were back in the spring cycle. No storms as far as the eye can see.
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS >>> Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in American Fork and the Cascade Ridgeline. Today, theyll return with a home run in White Pine. For more info, call 742-2800.
The UAC and ACE are offering a day long Womens Avalanche Awareness class at Alta on March 22nd covering beacon use and basic safe travel, terrain and snowpack information, for a nominal fee. For more details go to: www.altaarts.org.
uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)Brett Kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Tuesday morning, and thanks for calling.
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 provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with: Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County
The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.