Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Mark Staples
Issued by Mark Staples on
Saturday morning, February 29, 2020
The avalanche danger is LOW on all aspects and elevations. Watch for small, wet-loose avalanches on steep, sunny slopes.
Slide for life conditions exist on some slopes. This means the snow surface is hard and icy and you might not be able to stop if you fall.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
The UAC's Avy Awareness Auction is currently underway with tons of great gear, jewelry, artwork and experiences available. Visit the auction page HERE to help support the UAC's spring avalanche awareness and outreach efforts.

A new version of the UAC IOS application is now available on the Apple App Store. This version fixes many of the issues that occur when running IOS 13. Download it now!
Weather and Snow
Weather: Yesterday's high temperatures were generally in the upper 30s and low 40s F which were five to ten degrees warmer than the day before. Temperatures this morning are mostly in the mid and upper 30s F. Temperatures above about 8500 ft dropped below freezing.
Southwest winds increased overnight and are blowing 10-20 mph gusting 30 mph. Today should warm about as much as yesterday but partly cloudy skies should keep it from feeling too hot. High temperatures should reach the low 40s F again and the southwest winds will continue. Accumulating snow should arrive late tonight and deposit 1-3 inches by tomorrow morning when a cold front crosses overhead. Snowfall will continue Sunday through Monday morning with snow totals of maybe a foot.
Snow: With above freezing air temperatures, the snowpack may not be refrozen unless skies were just clear enough overnight to allow it to lose heat to the sky and refreeze on open slopes. Upper elevation slopes above 8500 feet should be refrozen. This limited refreeze means that it won't take much warming today for the snow to turn wet. Upper elevation slopes facing due north and untouched by winds in the last week have some dry recyrstallized snow. Some slopes scoured by winds have a very hard ice crust that formed February 7th.
Looking across the state, the snowpack is generally near or slightly above normal for snow water equivalent. For the full map of basins across the western U.S. go HERE. To see a map of how individual sites compare to normal, go HERE.
Recent Avalanches
Minor, wet-loose avalanches on steep southerly aspects.

Our Week in Review - where we highlight snow and avalanche activity from the past week - is available HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Currently, avalanche conditions are generally safe. Avalanches are always possible, and the main thing to watch for today are small loose wet avalanches on steep, sunny slopes. Without an overnight refreeze, these slopes may not be refrozen this morning and could get wet very quickly this morning. Fortunately, these slopes have been through quite a few melt-freeze cycles and any avalanche activity should be minimal.
Looking ahead: With increasing winds and snow in the forecast, the avalanche danger will rise by Sunday morning. The most likely places for shallow soft slab avalanches of new snow will be slopes that currently have dry, recrystallized snow on top of the February 7th crust. These are generally slopes shaded from both sun and wind.
General Announcements
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.