US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

Snow, Weather and Avalanche Advisory

 Introduction:

Good Morning, this is Max Forgensi with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory for the Wasatch Plateau/Manti Skyline Region, including, but not limited to Ephraim, Huntington and Fairview Canyons. This advisory is brought to you through a partnership of Utah State Parks and the USFS. Today is Friday, March 25th, 2005 at 10:00 am.

Current Conditions:

Snow! Winter is back with a SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM MST. 16” of snow has fallen on the Skyline since Sunday, this could be your last chance for winter weather, go up and enjoy the Skyline this weekend. With all this snow, the avalanche danger be a serious threat. Read on to learn more.

Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL: 57” of snow on the ground.

Seeley Creek SNOTEL: There is 52” of snow on the ground. It is currently 23 degrees at 6:00 am.

Mountain Weather:

SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON
Today...Breezy. Snow showers. A slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Accumulation 2-6 inches. Highs at 8000 feet in the upper 20s. Northwest winds 15-25 mph in the afternoon. he Northwest at 15-25. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tonight...Breezy. Snow showers likely and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening...Then a chance of snow showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy. Accumulation about 1 inch. Lows at 8000 feet 10-15. Northwest winds 15-25 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Saturday...Partly cloudy. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 30s.

Avalanche Conditions:

16” of snow will definitely have an effect on the avalanche danger, reports of denser snow overlying lighter snow in the North will probably be found on the Skyline. No snow has been recorded at the SNOTEL sites in the past 24 hours, although there is a chance for snow throughout the day coupled with strong winds out of the Northwest. Snow will be transporting, creating tender cornices on Southeast through East aspects and creating wind slabs as well. The wind direction is coming out of the Northwest, a direction that we haven’t seen in quite some time. What this means is that cornice development and wind slabs will be in places we haven’t seen much this year. Northeast-East-Southeast slopes will hold most of these concerns. The Bottom Line for today for the Skyline, I am going to rate the avalanche danger at MODERATE, with pockets of CONSIDERABLE on steep slopes greater than 35 degrees on NE-E-SE slopes. Visibility will be decreased for the traveler today, especially on top of the ridges, use extra caution so you don’t fall off unexpectedly.