Forecast - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Wednesday morning, March 5, 2025

Areas of MODERATE avalanche danger exist in the mid and upper elevations. You may still be able to trigger lingering soft slabs of wind drifted snow 12-18" deep, but these should trend stable over the course of the day. In isolated terrain facing west to north to southeast, it may still be possible to trigger an avalanche failing on a persistent weak layer of faceted snow. All other areas have LOW danger. *** IF the winds ramp up earlier than expected, the danger will rise accordingly.

HEADS UP! A powerful storm arrives tonight and the danger may reach toward HIGH tomorrow into Friday. Stay tuned.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

Learn how to read the forecast here

Special Announcements

March kicks off our Spring Campaign! If everyone in Utah’s backcountry community donates the cost of something they regularly enjoy on an adventure—like a dawn patrol burrito, a backpack snack, or post-ride trailhead drinks—we could fund not just one but two forecasters for the entire season! Donate here. Thank you!

Join UAC Forecaster Nikki Champion at Lone Pine Gear Exchange on tonight! at 7:30 PM for an in-depth look at the snowpack, how we got here, and what’s next. Find more info HERE.

Join the UAC on Thursday, March 6th at Brewvies in Salt Lake for friends, drinks, prizes, and an action-packed film! Alpine Assassins is a movie about incredible backcountry sledding and adventure. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Get your tickets here.

Weather and Snow

Skies are partly cloudy this morning before turning mostly cloudy to overcast by midday.

Winds are out of the west-northwest, blowing 10-15mph with gusts to 20. 11,000' anemometers register hourly wind speeds of 25-30mph with gusts to 40. Temps are in the upper teens to mid-20s.

Today will be a transition day between storms. Looking back, the early week storm dumped 15-25" of snow in the upper Cottonwoods and up to 2.25" of snow water equivalent. Periods of "sun-breaks" and localized greenhousing yesterday damaged some snow surfaces, but you'll find decent riding conditions in the sheltered terrain.

All eyes are on this next storm...and it looks like a monster. A large scale Pacific storm with abundant moisture will slam into the Wasatch this evening, with - at times - heavy snowfall expected through Friday. The Cottonwoods and areas of Provo will see 20-30" of snow and 2-3" of snow water equivalent. Initial rain-snow lines may reach 7000' before colder air arrives Thursday afternoon. The storm looks "right-side-up" with not much wind toward the end of the storm. Clearing for the weekend with another storm early next week.

For today, we'll have mostly cloudy to overcast skies, mountain temps in the mid-20s up high, the mid-30s down low. Winds will start to back to the southwest and south and stay on good behaviour until perhaps late afternoon.

Recent Avalanches

Ski area avalanche teams and observers reported active wind slab and storm slab instabilities in the morning hours. By afternoon, things had largely settled out.

Observations and Avalanches

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Along the higher elevations, you can still trigger a soft slab of wind drifted snow 12-18" thick. These drifts will be most pronounced on steep north to east to south facing slopes. Shooting cracks are indicators of unstable snow. I imagine that these drifts will become increasingly stubborn as the day wears on. In high northerly facing terrain, these drifts may step into recently buried faceted snow, now buried 1-2' deep. Simple snow tests should reveal their nature. Greg Gagne, Jenna Malone, and I all noted this structure in our field work yesterday. Check our reports HERE.

*** Watch for increasing winds out of the southwest late afternoon. IF they start to move and drift snow earlier than forecast, the danger will rise accordingly.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

In isolated areas, it may still be possible to trigger an avalanche failing on a buried persistent weak layer of sugary faceted grains. Steep, rocky terrain and paths that have avalanched previously this season are most suspect. Low likelihood does not mean impossible, but there are some things to consider: you'll probably see no hints of instability (no cracking, no collapsing) before the avalanche is triggered. And, sad to say, you may dig a snowpit here, but then find it very different three to four turns down the slope.

This uncertainty requires strict travel protocols and choosing terrain that does not amplify your overall risk (ie-getting swept into trees or over a cliff).

General Announcements

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures