Avalanche — Wasatch Mountains I-80 North, Utah

2010-04-04 · Wasatch Mountains I-80 North, Utah

Event narrative

One snowmobiler was killed in an avalanche that he triggered on Sunday, April 4th. He was traveling north along a ridge, when a cornice he was on, cracked and broke off. This caused an avalanche to release below the cornice. He was carried over a cliff band. He was buried approximately 1,000 feet below the ridge under 2 to 3 feet of debris. He was located by his partner with a beacon, and was taken away from the scene via helicopter. However, the helicopter medical crew could not find a pulse, and the man was pronounced dead an hour later.

Wider weather episode

A major winter storm took a three day period to move through northern Utah, bringing heavy wet snow to the area. Though the snowfall remained primarily in northern Utah, southern Utah received strong gusty winds as this storm moved through the region. The combination of snowfall and strong winds in northern Utah also produced hazardous avalanche conditions, with one fatal avalanche during this period of time.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 225857. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.