Wasatch
Cache National Forest
In partnership with: The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, Utah Department of
Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Salt Lake County,
and Utah State Parks
The
Utah Avalanche Center
Home page is: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/
Avalanche advisory
Friday,
November 15, 2002
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Good morning, this is Tom
Kimbrough with the
We won’t have all our phone
lines hooked up for a couple more days, so you may find it easier to access
this advisory on the internet.
Alta will be closed to
up-hill traffic for avalanche control this morning.
Current Conditions:
Today’s weather will be nice
but I can’t really say the same for the snow conditions. Only about an inch of new snow fell yesterday
afternoon at the higher elevations and we need feet, not inches. There is some settled powder on northerly
facing slopes, with total depths of about 2 feet at 10,000 feet but that is
just where we have lingering avalanche problems. Southerly facing slopes are crusted under
that dusting of new.
Avalanche Conditions:
The avalanche conditions have
improved since last weekend when the situation was just about as touchy as it
gets. I spent yesterday in upper Little
Cottonwood prowling around looking at all the slides I’d been hearing about and
talking to several very experienced people that managed to find themselves on
the wrong end of avalanches last Sunday and Monday. The snow is certainly a lot more stable than
it was last Monday but don’t get to thinking that we are out of the woods by
any means. In a way, it’s even more tricky now. Last
weekend all you had to do was look hard at a slope for it to avalanche; now you
may get right out in the middle before it cuts loose. A few days ago the avalanche danger was
screaming in your ear; now you have to listen attentively to hear more subtle
whispers. Although there haven’t been
any reported avalanches for several days, our snow pits still indicate
lingering instabilities and folks I know are still avoiding steep, shady
slopes.
Bottom Line:
The avalanche danger is MODERATE today on
northeast, north and northwest facing slopes, approaching 35 degrees and
steeper, above about 9,000’, and on steep slopes with recent wind drifts. Very dangerous human triggered slides are
possible. The LOW danger terrain includes lower angle slopes
that are well out from under steeper slopes, most southwest through southeast
facing slopes and elevations below about 9,000’.
Mountain Weather:
Skies will be mostly sunny
today with high temperatures in the low to mid thirties at 8,000 feet and in
the twenties at 10,000. Winds will be
breezy, with 15 to 25 mph winds from the northwest on the high ridges. Saturday looks like a pleasant day with
similar temperatures and less wind.
There aren’t any major storms in sight at this time.
General Information:
For a complete list of
evening talks and multi-day classes, visit www.avalanche.org
and click on
To report backcountry snow and
avalanche conditions, especially if you observe or trigger an avalanche, call
(801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email to
I will update this advisory by
Thanks for calling!
________________________________________________________________________
National
Weather Service - Salt Lake City - Snow.
For an explanation of
avalanche danger ratings: