Item: MID-WINTER WET SLABS IN INTERMOUNTAIN SNOWPACKS: HOW "UNUSUAL" IS THIS REALLY?
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Title: MID-WINTER WET SLABS IN INTERMOUNTAIN SNOWPACKS: HOW "UNUSUAL" IS THIS REALLY?
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Brooke Maushund [ Utah Avalanche Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA ]
- Ben VandenBos [ VandenBos Avalanche Weather, Sawtooth City, ID, USA ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Mid-winter wet slab avalanche cycles are most often thought of as phenomena associated with rain-on-snow events in maritime snow climates. Intermountain and continental snow climates are generally not discussed in this regard. This work explores a 25-year dataset compiled for the Utah Avalanche Center's Salt Lake Forecasting Zone, comparing forecasted and observed mid-winter wet slab avalanche activity. We examine wet slab forecast and occurrence timing, the frequency of mid-winter wet slab forecasts and avalanches, peak weeks of mid-winter wet slab activity, and trends in these metrics over these 25 years. We also examine trends in meteorological data leading to these events, snowpack trends, and the forecast accuracy in predicting them. Results show whether mid-winter wet slabs really are unusual in the intermountain snowpack of the Salt Lake Forecasting Zone in Utah, or if they're more common than we may perceive. With Utah's wintertime climate warm trends exceeding 2-2.5°C, and a greater percentage of cold-season low-elevation precipitation arriving as rain, these results may bring some insight into trends that may become more common in the future.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P2.29.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098959
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Brooke Maushund
Keywords: Wet slab; mid-winter; intermountain snowpack; avalanche forecasting; Utah; Wasatch
Page Number(s): 1208 - 1214
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