Weather Conditions

[nkanarik]

Might be a silly topic, but rather be safe than sorry...
We're planning a trip to San Rafael Swell (SRS) and Escalante this May. I'm wondering what folks use to monitor weather forecast / Flush Flood warnings (we're going to have satellite phone, so can call home and have them access the web daily). Our plan is:

Monitoring the sky & understanding drainage area for each canyon
http://www.wunderground.com/
http://www.weather.gov/
http://www.candition.com/


Thanks

[qedcook]

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/flashflood/

[Slot Machine]

Not a silly topic at all, nkanarik. Reading satellite imagery is an underrated skill.

I spend a lot of time watching the NOAA animated infrared satellite imagery, particularly before canyon trips. After observing for some time, you begin to get a feel for what is going to happen. My weather-prediction-batting-average seems to get a little better each year.

In most places you can get a live feed from NOAA as you are driving to the trailhead, and sometimes this 'game time' information can be very useful.

One time we were in Zion and it was raining cats and dogs. On NOAA, I could see the giant storm that was ruining our day was about to leave the area. I suggested that we drive to the trailhead despite the pouring rain. As we arrived at the trailhead the clouds parted and the sun shined for the rest of the day. Because we were watching closely, we go to do our canyon while it was flowing. A real treat, and completely safe, because we could see on the satellite imagery that the storm had completely passed.

_

IMO, the animated 4km and 2km Western US infrared images are the most useful.

http://sat.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/showsat.php?wfo=slc&area=west&type=ir&size=4

[nkanarik]

Thanks guys...I'll start monitoring the infrared images, and see if it is useful. I must say you are braver than me with your Zion experience :eek2:

[Iceaxe]

Noobs.... insert eye roll here.... You guys are way over thinking this. I stand at the top of the drainage, look at the sky and than make the call. You can leave your phone's in the car.

[Slot Machine]

I stand at the top of the drainage, look at the sky and then make the call.

This is known as the "Colorado MeetUp Method" of weather forecasting.

:lol8::haha::lol8::haha::lol8: :twisted:

[Slot Machine]

I must say you are braver than me with your Zion experience :eek2:

There was zero courage involved. We could see plain as day that the storm system in question was moving out. The question was, would we have time to do our canyon when it finally got out of the way? (The canyon in question was Fat Man's Misery)

As we drove to the trailhead, we passed by Keyhole Canyon, which was flashing in spectacular fashion. It had been pouring for about 16 hours straight, so it was somewhat expected. We had done Keyhole the evening before, during a drizzle with no flow in the canyon, so the sight was a little sobering. :eek2:

At about 10 or 11 am the rain abruptly stopped. As we dropped into Fat Man's, residual storm water was still running into the canyon from the night before. Just a trickle of very warm water that had just been on very warm sandstone. Not scary, because the collection area is not that big.

[Iceaxe]

FWIW- some of the best canyoneering on the planet is to be found riding the tail end of a flash flood through a canyon.

The danger level goes up and you must use extreme caution the canyon isn't surging, but the payoff is awesome.

[Scott P]

I use the same site as gedcook and the rest of the NOAA site too. Personally, I never go into a slot canyon with flash flood warnings out, even if the sky is clear or doesn't look that bad. I've seen a few flash floods in canyons, but they were in wide canyons. 25 years ago, my brother and dad got caught in rising waters in Dark Canyon. It was not raining at the time; the flood came from up canyon. Me and my other brother were already on the other side (the side that we needed to be on), but my dad and brother got swept away for a bit and my dad lost his glasses. No one who could see knew how to drive a stick shift (this is before I had a license so there were some improv lessons [including to my dad's friend Lori Webb] before we could get back to civilization).

Flash floods are kind of cool to watch from a safe distance, but I would never want to be in a slot canyon when there is a good chance of one happening. When someone does die in a flash flood in a slot canyon, pieces of bodies, rather than complete bodies are recovered. Getting caught in a flash flood while in a slot canyon wouldn't be much different than being dragged behind a truck over a road of sandpaper while drowning at the same time.