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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Trent Meisenheimer
Issued by Trent Meisenheimer on
Wednesday morning, March 18, 2020
The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all mid and upper elevation steep slopes for triggering shallow slabs of wind drifted snow. These slabs will be more pronounced on slopes facing northwest, north, and northeast. However, I would be on the lookout for any steep slope that is being loaded by the wind.
It's spring, and if you find yourself on any steep slope that is saturated and unsupportable to our weight, it's a good idea to turn around as wet snow avalanches could remain a possibility today.
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Special Announcements
We are sad to report that a 60-yr-old skier was killed by a large avalanche Sunday in the backcountry near Pebble Creek ski resort outside of Pocatello, Idaho. This avalanche is not in our forecast zone, but we will assist in the investigation.
We know there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the Coronavirus, but the Utah Avalanche Center is planning to continue issuing regular avalanche forecasts into April.
Uphill Travel at Ski Areas - Some resorts will be offering limited uphill access, but not all do. Current info about uphill access from Ski Utah is posted HERE.
Weather and Snow
Under cloudy skies, the long-awaited storm is finally here. As of 6:30 am, there is a trace to 2" inches of new snow containing 0.14" of water. Mountain temperatures have cooled overnight and are currently in the low 20's °F above 9,000' in elevation. The freezing line is about 6,800' where the temperature is 31°F. Winds are from the south and southwest blowing 15-20 mph gusting into the 20's along the upper elevation ridgelines.
For today, we can expect the snow to continue through the morning and tapering off into snow showers this afternoon. Winds will remain from the southerly direction and could be gusty at times. Temperatures will climb into the upper 20's °F at 10,000'. The total new snow for today looks to be in the 2-4" range.
As a closed low slowly moves overhead, it will "stall" over Utah, and we will continue to see snow for the remainder of the week. Fingers crossed it will begin to stack up.
Recent Avalanches
No new avalanches have been reported from the Provo backcountry.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The southerly winds continue to blow across the upper elevations at speeds of 15-20 mph and now have some new snow to blow around. Shallow drifts of windblown snow will be the biggest concern for today. These shallow drifts will be most pronounced just off the ridgelines and on steep slopes that face northwest, north, and northeast. Look for and avoid slopes that are being loaded by the wind.
Use smaller test slopes (any slope that's not big enough to bury you) to see how the new snow is behaving before committing to the gut of steep avalanche terrain. The new snow is dense and should bond well to the underlying surfaces; however, some slopes have ice crusts, and the new snow may easily slide fast and far in steep, sustained terrain.
  • Wind drifted snow is often smooth, rounded, and chalky looking, and harder drifts may sound hollow like a drum.
  • Watch for and avoid fresh drifts on the lee side of major ridgelines and around terrain features like cliff bands, scoops, gully walls, and sub-ridges.
  • Avoid ridge top cornices, which can break much further back than expected and could start avalanches on slopes below.
General Announcements
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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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