Greetings All--NWAC web site update and summary forecasts....
Yes indeed, the NWAC web server (actually the avalanche.org server which hosts nwac.us as well as many other regional US avalanche centers including UAFC) is currently down, and as you may have noted it has been having intermittent problems since Wednesday. When I spoke with our contacts at avalanche.org, it appears that a main server farm that supplies ISP and ISP access for much of Utah is down, with little info yet from their IT folks. However, a back up server for avalanche.org may be phycially moved across the street to another ISP provider if necessary, and hopefully one way or another we will be back up by later today. We'll try to give updates as info and time permit.
Weatherwise, look for increasing high clouds and rising freezing levels Friday with a continuing shallow temperature inversion in lower terrain near the Cascade passes. Clouds should increase Saturday morning as a weak warm front approaches, with a little light rain, snow or local freezing rain spreading southward mid-late Saturday, along with increasing ridgetop winds. Light to moderate rain or freezing rain north and central and occasional light rain south early-mid Sunday should slowly lift northward with the retreating warm front. mid-late Sunday followed by slowly clearing skies spreading south to north later Sunday into early Monday.
Avalanche-wise, strong but slowly weakening surface crusts and settled but gradually faceting upper snowpack providing generally low danger avalanche wise early Friday, but some danger from long uncontrolled slides. Some softening and weakening of near surface snow on sun exposed terrain later Friday morning and afternoon from sunshine or filtered sunshine for a moderate danger from small wet loose or and isolated shallow wet slab. Decreasing danger Friday night as wet snow refreezes, but danger slowly and slightly increasing mid-late Saturday due gradual weakening and wetting of surface crust and upper facets.
More later--Mark Moore, NWAC
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