Lawinenlagebericht

Provo

Veröffentlicht am Dec 25, 2020gültig bis Dec 26, 2020Utah Avalanche Center

Lawinengefahr

Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze

Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 6 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

There is a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger on upper elevation aspects facing west, north and east for triggering large avalanches that are 1-2' deep and up to several hundred feet wide. Avalanches may be triggered remotely and from lower-angled terrain. Avoid being on, underneath or adjacent to slopes greater than 30°in steepness on these upper elevation aspects.

At the mid elevations and upper elevation southerly aspects, there is a MODERATE danger.

Low elevations have a Low danger.

Lawinenprobleme

Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
Wahrscheinlichkeit
Likely
Größe
3
A persistent weak layer (PWL) of faceted snow and depth hoar exists in the bottom foot of the snowpack on mid and upper-elevation slopes except those facing south. Snowfall and wind-drifted snow this past week have overloaded these weak layers, with several remotely-triggered avalanches. Wednesday's remotely-triggered slide in Dry Fork in American Fork canyon got my attention as it was triggered from tracks on an adjacent, low-angled slope and pulled out a 2' deep hard slab that ran through trees. Thursday's remote slide in Banana Days and then sympathetically-released slide in adjacent Main Days illustrates how strong and connected the slab on top of the PWL has become. This is likely a good proxy for the Provo-area mountains.

This video provides a good overview of the snowpack in the Provo-area mountains:

These recent avalanches - as well as continued loud, booming collapses and cracking - is the snowpack talking to us, and the message isn't Happy Holidays.

Avoid slopes steeper than 30° on upper elevation aspects facing west, through north, and east. Triggering an avalanche on these slopes is likely; they may be up to 2' deep and several hundred feet wide.

The good news is that low-angled slopes in non-avalanche terrain are riding quite well!

Snow and Weather

Allure of fresh snow.

Persistent weakness. One should

read Mary Ruefle.

This Morning: Some high thin clouds and a temperature inversion with lower-elevation trailheads in the teens and low 20's F and in the upper 20's F along upper elevation ridges and peaks. Winds are out of the south/southwest and very light - less than 10 mph - with gusts in the teens at 11,000'.

For Today: High thin clouds with clearing this afternoon. Temperatures will remain mild, rising slightly above freezing in most mountain locations, with lower-elevations reaching the mid 30's F. Winds will be out of the southwest and remain light, with an uptick this afternoon with gusts in the teens and low 20's mph at the mid and upper elevations.

This Weekend: Increasing clouds tonight with a weak system for Saturday which may bring a few inches of light snow. Looking further ahead, chances for light snow early this coming week and then perhaps right around the New Year.

Special Announcement

Thanks to the generous support of our local resorts, Ski Utah, and Backcountry, discount lift tickets are now available.

Support the UAC while you ski at the resorts this season. Tickets are available here.

Recent Activity

Week in Review: It has been active this past week, with snowfall, wind and over 30 natural and human-triggered avalanches reported. Although centric to the Salt Lake mountains, catch up by reading our Week in Review - where we highlight significant snow and weather events from the past week.

We have received no recent reports from the Provo mountains. Reports of remotely and sympathetically-triggered avalanches in the Salt Lake mountains continue to roll in:

Wednesday 12/23 - Squaretop on Park City Ridgeline. I also visited the remotely-triggered slide in Dry Fork. This one spooked me as it was a 2' hard slab that ran through dense trees and over a cliff band.

Thursday 12/24 - West Monitor on Park City Ridgeline. Control work from Park City resorts triggered slides up to 500' wide and 1-2' deep. In Days Fork a remotely-triggered avalanche at the top of Banana Days which then sympathetically pulled out two avalanches in adjacent Main Days. [Photos B. Nalli]

This heat map shows the distribution of avalanches in the Salt Lake mountains since Thursday, December 17. They have been on aspects facing northwest through east - focused on northeast and east - above 9000'.

General Announcements

Please visit this website with information about Responsible Winter Recreation by the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures