The National Weather Service has continued a Winter Storm Warning through 10:00 Saturday morning, with significant snowfall winding down and strong westerly winds continuing in the mountains in northern Utah. About 17" of new snow fell at the 8400' TGLU1 Snotel overnight, and winds have been cranking along the ridges, with hourly average wind speed in the mid thirties (mph), and gusts in the 60 mph range at the CSI Logan Peak weather station. Plenty of new snow and significant wind drifting has created heightened avalanche conditions on many steep mountain slopes. Continued drifting from west winds today could cause dangerous conditions to develop in some upper elevation terrain, and people will be more likely to trigger dangerous wind slab avalanches.

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There is not yet enough snow to cause much risk of avalanches on most slopes now, but shallow, early season snow conditions can still be quite dangerous. Just in the past week, shallowly buried rocks are to blame for the tragic death of a Bozman woman who died while skiing a steep chute in the Montana backcountry (info here). Also, for that of a British Columbia snowboarder who was killed by head trauma in a “freak backcountry accident” while skiing on his split board in relatively flat, rolling terrain. He was found with his helmet off his head and on his backpack (info here).