Avalanche forecast

Skyline

Issued Mar 12, 2021valid to Mar 13, 2021Utah Avalanche Center

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Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Today the avalanche danger is MODERATE in the upper elevation northwest through northeast facing steep terrain.

While not all that likely, human triggered avalanches breaking into weak snow near the ground are possible.

The danger may increase this weekend depending on if we get much additional snow.

Avalanche problems

Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Possible
Size
3
Weak layers of faceted snow near the ground remain my biggest concern. As it turns out, we haven't added a whole lot of weight on top of those weak layers with this current storm system. Make no mistake though. They are still there and very capable of producing dangerous avalanches. There is some strength in the mid portion of the snowpack that is acting like a bridge over the weak snow on the ground. This is the only thing giving the snowpack some stability. If that bridge fails, a deep avalanche will result. Upper elevation NW, N, and NE steep slopes are still off limits for me.

Snow and Weather

Current Conditions: Snowfall on Thursday didn't stack up quite as much as I expected. About 2 more inches trickled in during the morning and that was it. Totals since Tuesday are 6 to 8 inches. The flow is now from the east with light wind speeds. Temperatures are in the mid teens.

Mountain Weather: Things have morphed with how the storm will affect our area. It is now looking like we won't see much snow during the day today. Another period of snow should happen late tonight and into Saturday. Here's the problem that I see with this type of storm. Today and tonight the flow is light and from the east. Ususally, this is not a great pattern for snow accumulations on the Skyline. The flow shifts more north and northwest later Saturday and this might be when we see the best accumulations. I'm not that optimistic right now about large amounts of snow. At this point, I'm thinking if we pick up another 6 inches by Sunday we'd be doing good.