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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed on
Saturday morning, December 4, 2021
Snow is finally in the forecast, and this weekend is a good time to have a careful look at what it will be stacking up on. Currently, there is a little bit of snow on northerly facing slopes at high elevations, and the sustained dry weather has caused the surface to weaken and become faceted or sugary in many areas. Avalanches remain unlikely this weekend, possible only in exposed upper elevation terrain, but conditions will change dramatically as significant snow starts to accumulate next week.
  • Remember to always follow safe travel protocols. Go one person at a time in avalanche terrain, while the rest of your party watches from a safe area.
  • Now is a good time to check your avalanche rescue equipment, change the batteries on your beacons, and practice with your backcountry partners.
We will update this forecast as conditions warrant.
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Special Announcements
Join us next Tuesday, Dec 7th at 6 pm at The Cache for the 18th Annual Pray for Snow Party and Fundraiser. There'll be live music from the Highline Drifters, Lucky Slice pizza, a silent auction and a drawing of awesome donated items. All proceeds benefit avalanche education, awareness, and forecasting in the Logan zone. Buy your tickets online before Tuesday and save $5. If you can't join us in person, you can still bid on items in the auction by simply registering. Click HERE for tickets and more information.
  • Check out all the upcoming education classes and clinics HERE.
  • Please submit your observations from the backcountry HERE.
Weather and Snow
Finally, it looks like some snow is on the way. The National Weather Service forecasts 6 to 12 inches of accumulation on upper elevation slopes in the Logan Zone Monday and Monday night, and unsettled wintery weather will continue. Confidence is growing that a more significant storm will impact the mountains of Utah later in the work week.
A few inches of very sugary faceted snow is capping a very hard rain crust that formed on 11-12-2021. Steep slopes remain difficult to travel on due to the slick crust, and people could easily lose footing, fall, pick up speed and slide out of control on steep upper elevation slopes.
A few inches of sugary faceted snow is capping a slick and solid rime ice-crust at upper elevations in the Central Bear River Range.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
​​​​​​As is usual during periods of dry weather, the snow surface is quite varied across terrain. In shady, or mostly north facing areas up high, a hard rain-crust dominates the shallow snowpack structure. In some areas this is likely become a problem when its buried, a smooth bed surface with a couple inches of very loose faceted snow on top of it.
Before the December snow stacks up, I'm keeping track of the many bare and only shallowly covered slopes that will not be plagued by weak October or November snow.
Additional Information
  • Be very careful, keep your speed down, and stay in control. Encounters with shallowly buried rocks or down trees in the early season have led to many season-ending injuries.
  • The Tony Grove Road is not maintained for wheeled vehicles in the winter season.
The surface of the remaining snow on the ridge south of Tony Grove has been sculpted and hardened by a couple weeks of wind and sun.
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