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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed on
Wednesday morning, February 23, 2022
Drifting from strong east winds overnight created heightened avalanche conditions and MODERATE danger at all elevations. Stiff drifts and wind slabs likely formed in unusual, perhaps unexpected places, and today people could trigger dangerous avalanches of wind drifted snow on slopes steeper than 30°.
Evaluate snow and terrain carefully. Watch for and avoid stiff deposits of recently wind drifted snow on steep slopes, especially in and around terrain features like gullies, scoops, sub-ridges, and cliff bands.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
  • The Utah Avalanche Center will be holding a BC 101 class in Logan on Feb 24-25. This class is great for those new to the backcountry or wanting to refresh their skills. Click here for details and registration.
  • Thanks to the generous support of our local resorts and Ski Utah, discount lift tickets are now available. Support the UAC while you ski at the resorts this season. Tickets are available HERE.
Weather and Snow
The 8400' Tony Grove Snotel reports -3°F this morning, and there is 66 inches of total snow at the site. Winds out of the east are blowing around 35 mph, with gusts approaching 50 mph at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station, which reports a wind chill value of -36°F this morning.
The easterly winds easily picked up the light new snow from earlier in the week, and the drifting created heightened avalanche conditions at all elevations. People could trigger dangerous avalanches of wind drifted snow in unusual or unexpected places.
Very cold wintry weather in the Bear River Range yesterday.
  • It's snowing this morning in the Bear River Range. Expect cloudy skies and cold temperatures in the mountains again today. 8500' high temperatures will be around 10°F, and 35 mph east winds will create wind chill values as low as -29°F before gradually diminishing this afternoon. Less than a half inch of accumulation is expected.
  • It will be partly cloudy tonight, with temperatures around 7°F, and with north-northeast winds, the wind chill value will be as low as -19°F.
  • Tomorrow will be increasingly cloudy, with high temperatures around 13°F, and moderate northwest winds will create wind chill values around -15°F. There is a chance of some snow showers in the afternoon.
  • Looks like some sun and fair weather for the upcoming weekend, but temperatures will remain pretty cold.
Recent Avalanches
Other than a few sluffs or avalanches of loose snow in steep terrain, no avalanches were reported recently in the Logan Zone.
Yesterday, we observed numerous small but long-running natural sluffs of storm snow in steep terrain in the Central Bear River Range. (Naomi Peak 2-22-22)
A few small avalanches stepped down into a buried persistent weak layer of faceted snow in the Wasatch Range yesterday. Here's a photo on one that was unintentionally triggered by ascending skiers in Big Cottonwood Canyon east of Sandy.
Is this the canary in the coal mine?
Check out all the recent backcountry observations and avalanche reports from across Utah HERE
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
People could trigger slab avalanches of wind drifted snow in terrain exposed to drifting from somewhat unusual east winds. This morning, the wind will continue to blow strongly from the east, but it will decrease this afternoon. The east winds easily picked up yesterday's fresh powder and drifting has created stiff wind slabs in unusual, perhaps unexpected places.
  • Avoid recently drifted snow on steep slopes at all elevations on the lee side of ridges and in and around terrain features like sub-ridges, gullies, and cliff bands.
Loose avalanches (or sluffs) of powder and recrystallized or faceted surface snow remain possible in terrain sheltered from the east winds, on very steep and sustained slopes.
  • Manage loose avalanches by staying out of constricting terrain, like drainage gullies, and moving out of the fall line so you don't get caught by your own sluff.
  • Avoid being caught and pulled into terrain traps below you like trees, gullies, or benches.
Additional Information
  • Now is a great time to practice your avalanche rescue skills. Thanks to the generous support of Northstar, the Franklin Basin Beacon Training Park is up and running. The park is located directly west of the parking lot and is open for anyone to use. All you need is your beacon and probe. Please do not dig up the transmitters.
  • Always follow safe backcountry travel protocols. Go one person at a time in avalanche terrain, while the rest of your party watches from a safe area. (practice anytime while traveling on or under backcountry slopes steeper than 30°)
  • Check your avalanche rescue equipment, change your batteries, and practice often with your backcountry partners.
    Check slope angles, and to avoid avalanche terrain stay off of and out from under slopes steeper than 30° and adjacent slopes. Video Here
General Announcements
Special thank you to Polaris and Northstar...Video Here
Who's up for some free avalanche training? Get a refresher, become better prepared for an upcoming avalanche class, or just boost your skills. Go to https://learn.kbyg.org/ and scroll down to Step 2 for a series of interactive online avalanche courses produced by the UAC.
  • Check out all the upcoming education classes and clinics HERE.
  • Please submit your observations from the backcountry HERE.
This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
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