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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed on
Monday morning, February 28, 2022
The snow is mostly stable in the backcountry, large avalanches are unlikely, and the avalanche danger is LOW. Exceptions exist on isolated steep upper elevation slopes, where people might trigger small avalanches of wind drifted snow. Also, people could trigger loose dry or wet avalanches entraining sugary or moist surface snow in steep terrain.
Use normal caution. Watch for and avoid previously wind drifted snow on steep slopes, especially in and around terrain features like gullies, scoops, sub-ridges, and cliff bands.
We will update this forecast by 7:30 Wednesday morning.
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Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
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
Although plagued by widespread shallowly buried persistent weak layers of sugary faceted snow, the snow is mostly stable in the backcountry. The 8400' Tony Grove Snotel reports 25°F this morning, and there is 66 inches of total snow at the site, with 83% of normal SWE for the date. Winds out of the west are blowing about 24 mph at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station. A bit of new snow last week improved backcountry riding conditions, and you'll find classic dust-on-crust conditions in most areas, with pockets of nice shallow powder in sheltered terrain.
At upper elevations, this week's squirrly winds really whipped up the few inches of fresh powder and created heightened avalanche conditions.
  • Expect sunny skies and warming temperatures in the mountains today. 8500' high temperatures will be around 30°F with15 mph west-southwest winds.
  • It will be clear tonight, temperatures will drop to around 23°F, with 20 mph-southwest winds.
  • Expect sunny skies tomorrow, with high temperatures climbing to around 36°F, and 15 mph west winds.
  • Looks like sunny, fair weather, and warming temperatures are in store for the next few days, with the next chance for (potentially significant) accumulating snow coming at the end of the week and into the weekend.
Recent Avalanches
  • We got a report of a handful of small intentionally triggered wind slabs by riders dropping cornice or (ski) cutting slopes in very steep upper elevation terrain in the Tony Grove Area Saturday.
  • Riders report a shallow wind slab avalanche unintentionally triggered by rider in the Cornice Ridge Area Saturday morning. The 6-10" deep x 60' wide avalanche of stiff drifted snow at about 9000' occurred on a steep northeast facing slope.
Two unintentionally triggered avalanches were reported last week on north facing slopes above 8000'.
1)-A party of skiers remotely triggered a 10" deep and 150' wide pocket of drifted snow from the ridge above in the Mt. Naomi Wilderness.
2)-A rider was caught and carried a short distance and his sled overturned in a soft wind slab avalanche, 15" to 18" deep and 60' wide a couple miles north of the ID state line in Franklin Basin.
Last week a rider was caught and carried a short distance and his sled overturned in this small avalanche of wind drifted snow.
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
Although unlikely, people might trigger slab avalanches of previously wind drifted snow in steep upper elevation terrain. Last week's squirrly winds from all different directions picked up fresh powder and drifted it onto slopes plagued by layers of sugary faceted snow. Some wind slabs may remain unstable for a while because the sugary snow that they formed on is a buried persistent weak layer.
  • Avoid stiff drifted snow on steep slopes at mid and upper elevations on the lee side of ridges and in and around terrain features like sub-ridges, gullies, and cliff bands.
Avalanche Problem #2
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
  1. Loose dry avalanches (or sluffs) of recrystallized or faceted snow are possible in sheltered terrain facing the northern half of the compass on very steep slopes.
  2. Small natural and triggered loose wet avalanches, entraining damp surface snow, are possible in the midday heat. With warmer temperatures expected today and strong late February sun, last week's fresh snow could become moist and prone to loose avalanching in steep sunny terrain.
  • 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.
  • Roller balls, pinwheels, and natural sluffs of wet surface snow indicate potential for more wet activity.
  • Natural loose wet avalanches could start in rock bands or cliffy areas and fan out, entraining moist surface snow on steep slopes below.
Loose avalanches or sluffs of new snow on the south shoulder of Naomi Peak. (2-22-2022)
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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