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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Drew Hardesty
Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Sunday morning, December 19, 2021
Areas of CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exist on northwest through easterly facing slopes above about 8500'. Avalanches may break down 2' deep and propagate over a hundred feet wide. It may also be possible to trigger them from a distance or from below. Pockety wind drifts may be found in the upper elevation bands and are to be avoided.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow
Skies are clear.
With a building inversion, mountain temperatures are in the mid-20s while trailheads and basins are mired in the teens.
Westerly winds picked up a touch along the ridgelines and are blowing 15-20mph. 11,000' anemometers are averaging 25-30mph with gusts to 45.
Riding conditions remain excellent, although many southerly and westerly aspects will have a zipper crust this morning before the mid-day thaw.
For today, we'll have mostly sunny skies, light to moderate westerly winds and temperatures soaring to low 30s up high and the upper 30s down low.
Sunscreen and skin wax are recommended.
Looking down the road, we'll have pleasant weather for the first part of the week before a series of storms impact the state Wednesday night into beyond.
Recent Avalanches
We didn't hear of any avalanches reported from the Provo mountains, but the Salt Lake mountains remain very dangerous. An additional dozen human triggered avalanches occurred yesterday 2-3' deep and hundreds of feet wide. Below is an example of just one of the human triggered avalanches yesterday.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
A conditionally unstable snowpack exists on steep northwest to east facing slopes above about 8500'. This unstable layering has produced numerous dangerous avalanches in the SL mountains. It'll be important to dig down to look for this unstable layering and avoid steep terrain that harbors this structure. Look for a strong slab layer over a few inches of weak, sugary snow. Cracking and collapsing may or may not exist. At this point, I would avoid steep terrain on the north side of the compass as avalanches may be 1-3' deep and a hundred feet wide or more.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Increasing southwesterly winds overnight have drifted the recent storm snow into soft pillowy slabs of wind blown snow. They will be reactive to the weight of a skier or rider on the slope and may be more sensitive than you think. These drifts may be up to 12" deep or so and more pronounced just lee of the ridgelines on slopes facing west to north to southeast. Some mid-elevation exposed ridgelines may be prone to wind drifting as well.
General Announcements

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.