Avalanche — Central Mountains, Utah

2013-03-01 · Central Mountains, Utah

Event narrative

A group of snowmobilers were recreating on the southern end of the Manti Skyline, just east out of 12 Mile Canyon, in Sevier County. For part of the afternoon, most of the group members were riding independently; however, around 4:00 pm, the group realized one of the members was missing. They had neither heard nor seen the avalanche, but they soon found the path the avalanche had taken, and correctly assumed that the missing group member had been buried under the snow. The group tried to dig out the missing person, a 32-year-old male, and eventually went for help from the local authorities. By the time they were able to find him, nearly five hours later, he had already passed away.

Wider weather episode

An avalanche was triggered in the area near 12 Mile Canyon, in Sevier County, Utah. The avalanche caught and killed one snowmobiler.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 438404. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.