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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Paige Pagnucco
Issued by Paige Pagnucco on
Thursday morning, March 24, 2022
Heightened avalanche conditions exist on northerly facing upper and mid-elevation slopes steeper than 30°. People could trigger slab avalanches, up to two feet deep and a couple hundred feet wide, failing on a buried persistent weak layer of faceted snow.
The warmest temperatures of the year will cause an increase in avalanche danger.
Natural and human-triggered loose wet and wet slab avalanches will become possible as temperatures increase.
*Evaluate snow and terrain carefully today.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
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Weather and Snow
Heightened avalanche conditions exist and there are areas with unstable snow mainly on northerly facing upper and mid-elevation slopes. Weak sugary faceted snow still exists on northerly facing slopes creating poor snow structure, and people could trigger avalanches if they venture into this terrain today. Today's warmer temperatures will cause an increasing danger for wet avalanches.
Riding conditions are good across the range. You may still find pockets of dry, soft snow in shaded north-facing terrain today but in most areas, it's spring-like with supportable, damp snow. There is endless opportunity to have fun on slopes less than 30 degrees.
The 8400' Tony Grove Snotel reports 36°F, and there is 69 inches of total snow at the site, containing 81% of normal SWE for the date. West winds are blowing around 20-25 mph at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station. Today is the beginning of a period of very warm days and nights.
  • Today expect sunny and very warm conditions, with high temperatures at 8500' around 50°F, and 14-18 mph west winds.
  • It will be clear tonight, with low temperatures only near 30 F, and 13 to 16 mph west winds.
  • It will be mostly sunny and VERY WARM again tomorrow, with high temperatures around 56°F and 13 to 86 mph southwest winds.
  • The heatwave is arriving - expect very warm days and nights through the weekend.
Recent Avalanches
  • A reported large avalanche occurred earlier in the week in Steam Mill Canyon on a steep northeast facing slope at 9600'. The trigger is unknown but the avalanche measured approximately 1-2' deep and 900' wide. It failed on the same widespread, buried persistent weak layer. Report is HERE.
  • A rider in a party of 6 was side-hilling on a north-facing slope at around 8700' in Crescent Lake Canyon (Franklin Basin) when he triggered a 2' thick soft slab avalanche that failed on our widespread buried PWL. He was caught, carried around 150' and mostly buried, with only top of helmet and waving right arm out of the snow. He was quickly recovered by his companions, but his sled sustained some significant damage.
  • Two human-triggered avalanches that failed on the same widespread, buried persistent weak layer were reported Saturday from just north of the Idaho State Line. The avalanches were triggered unintentionally by the same party in the Franklin Basin Area on a north-northeast facing slope at around 9200' in elevation. Report is HERE.
  • A reported large avalanche was triggered by snowmobile riders on Friday, also on a north-northeast facing slope at around 9000,' in St. Charles Canyon, in the Snowslide Canyon Area, and we received a report of a similar, sled-triggered avalanche that occurred north of the Idaho State Line in the Egan Basin Area of Beaver Creek, also on Friday.
A rider was mostly buried and he and his bent and broken sled had to be excavated by companions in an avalanche accident Sunday in Crescent Lake Canyon, in the Franklin Basin area just south of the Idaho state line.
On Sunday, riders observed a large, soft slab avalanche on Midnight Mountain in SE Idaho. The avalanche occurred on a NE facing slope at 9300' and was two feet deep and approximately 175' wide.
Check out all the recent backcountry observations and many recent avalanche reports from across Utah HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
On slopes facing the north half of the compass, in some areas, it is possible to trigger slab avalanches failing on a sugary, buried persistent weak layer. There are few telltale signs like cracking or collapsing with these avalanches. Today's warming temperatures could cause increasing instability on slopes plagued by this buried persistent weak layer. The warming will soften existing slabs and crust layers, and increase creep and glide rates, which could cause natural avalanches to become more possible and triggered avalanches more likely.
  • In some isolated areas, avalanches still might be triggered remotely or from a distance.
Very weak faceted snow is buried and preserved in many areas. Poor snow structure exists where a slab of harder snow sits above these buried layers of loose faceted snow, and in some areas, stability tests show unstable conditions. I found very weak facets at 7000' in Rattlesnake Canyon Tuesday. Slopes that are normally popular springtime haunts are off-limits for now.
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Avalanche Problem #2
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Temperatures will be well above average today and the high March sun will feel hot. If the snow surface becomes damp or unsupportable, it's time to head home, change aspect or move to lower angle terrain. Watch for signs of warming-related instability like rollerballs. Wet or damp snow is generally unstable.
The potential for wet slab activity will increase as well as the temperatures increase.
With unseasonably warm temperatures forecast through the weekend, expect the danger for wet avalanches to increase.
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.
  • 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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