UTAH, March 11, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Avalanche Center is warning residents of potential wet avalanches this spring.
“As we continue to drift towards springtime conditions, those dangerous, early season weak layers will become more dormant,” said a Facebook post. “At this time, our attention turns, in part, to wet avalanches.”
While wet slab avalanches are harder to predict than dry avalanches, a few signs can indicate the potential for these slow, yet powerful slides, the post said.
Monitor the snowpack surface for a layer of wet, slushy snow more than several inches deep, officials said. Water may be visible between the ice grains. On small, very steep test slopes, the surface layers will slide easily. Fresh roller balls, or little snowballs, falling off trees and cliff bands indicate that the snowpack surface is getting weak.
“Recent wet avalanche activity, roller balls spinning down the mountain, or the sinking of our boots into the melting snow are some signs of impending wet avalanches,” the post said. “You’ll want to keep your finger on the pulse of temperatures, cloud cover, and aspects that are developing supportable melt freeze surface snow. Then all you need to do is get an early start, wait for the sun to warm the snow surface and then get after it.”
For more information go to the Utah Avalanche Center website.
