Salt Lake
Avalanche danger
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
Highlights
We start this morning at LOW danger. Remember, LOW Danger does not mean No Danger. It may be possible to trigger small avalanches in isolated terrain.
I don't think we'll see enough new snowfall (3-5") today to pose an problem, but if we see more snow and wind than expected, watch for increasing danger in the new snow in the steeper terrain on all aspects of the higher elevations. Continue to give the yawning cornices a wide berth.
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Recent Activity
Two climbers experienced a very close call yesterday in the Triangle Couloir in lower LCC. Read their excellent report HERE. Further up canyon, observers noted a new shallow but 150' wide natural slab avalanche at 11,400' from the relentless wind drifting.
A number of shallow but not inconsequential hard slabs of wind drifted snow were triggered by backcountry skiers on Sunday, with two skiers in separate incidents caught and carried. You can find more info HERE.
Snow and Weather
Skies are overcast with slowly warming temperatures ahead of another storm. Winds are backing (shifting counter-clockwise) to the west-southwest (blowing from that direction) at 15-20mph with gusts to 30. Mountain temps are in the mid to upper 20s.
The Big Picture: a storm arriving from the Pacific northwest will usher in another round of snow today, with higher snowfall rates expected by the late afternoon into the overnight hours. Temps will be in the mid-20s today, on their way to the upper single digits to low teens tomorrow. Winds should be light to moderate from the west. Snowfall should continue through tomorrow with 6-12" possible. I should say 2-16" because there is a fair bit of uncertainty with snow amounts with this system. Where there is not uncertainty is in the forecast strong winds from the east Thursday through Friday. As the storm closes off and moves south, cyclonic (counter-clockwise) winds along the north edge of the storm brings strong winds from the east. And nothing good comes from an east wind.
Current Conditions: Coverage is excellent with 40-60" of snow at the trailheads and 80-140" of settled snow in the high country. Most snow stakes are well above average (115-130%+). Riding conditions are, however, a bit rugged, with sun and wind damage across all but the most protected terrain. Hopefully by tomorrow, we'll have a new coat of paint for a nice refresh.
General Announcements
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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.