On Monday, March 27, two snowmobilers were riding in the Oquirrh Mountains. One was caught, carried, and fully buried in a very large avalanche. His partner, friends and family, Utah County Search and Rescue, Utah Department of Public Safety, and LifeFlight participated in the rescue, but he sadly did not survive. The preliminary avalanche report can be found
HERE.
Our sincerest condolences go out to everyone affected by this tragic avalanche.
We are in the process of finalizing a report about the March 9th avalanche fatality in the Uintas. Thank you for your patience, and we will publish the final report in coming days.
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Spring Campaign. We appreciate your support and look forward to creating new tools to help you stay safe in the backcountry.
This morning, the skies are overcast. Mountain temperatures are sitting in the mid-20s F. Winds have decreased a bit since yesterday, and are blowing from the southwest at speeds of 5-15 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph. At the highest ridgelines, winds are gusting into the mid-60s mph. Overnight snowfall totals range from 3-10".
Today, snow showers will continue primarily late morning through the afternoon ahead of a strong northwest flow this evening. Temperatures will climb into the mid-30s F. Winds will become more westerly and average 5-15 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph. The mountains could get an additional 4-6" of new snow before 5 PM, with the potential for periods of snowfall up to 1"/hr.
This evening, this Northwest flow takes off. Snowfall will become heavy overnight, with peak snowfall rates up to 2"/hr and winds will transition more west-northwesterly with gusts up to 40 mph. The mountains could receive an additional 8-15" overnight. Periods of heavy snow will continue through Friday morning before tapering into showers, and a temporary break before the next potent system makes it's way through the area late Sunday.
Yesterday, was generally quiet in the backcountry but reports of avalanches continue to roll in.
Over 23 avalanches have been reported from the Northern, Central, and Southern Wasatch backcountry since Monday. These have been primarily soft slabs of both new snow, and wind-drifted snow at the mid and upper elevations. Around noon on Tuesday, March 28th, we received a report of a snowcat-triggered avalanche in the Morgan area which took the cat for a ride through a group of trees, overturning it in the process and injuring a passenger. Additional details, locations, and information have been added to the
preliminary report.
Photos courtesy of Morgan County Search and Rescue.
With the good visibility, a few impressive naturals were reported that likely occurred between the 26th and 27th, including a notable large avalanche from Mill B and Rainbow Peak.
Find all recent observations
HERE.
