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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed on
Sunday morning, February 13, 2022
The backcountry avalanche danger is LOW. The snow is mostly stable, and avalanches are unlikely.
  • Use normal caution. Watch for and avoid (1) stiff wind drifted snow on steep upper elevation slopes, (2) loose recrystallized snow on very steep sustained slopes, and (3) saturated, sun-softened snow in sheltered sunny terrain in the midday heat.
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Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
  • The Utah Avalanche Center will be holding a BC 101 class in Logan on Feb 24-25. This class is great for those new to the backcountry or wanting to refresh their skills. Click here for details and registration.
  • 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.
  • 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
Now is a great time to take advantage of nice weather and LOW avalanche danger in the backcountry, so get out there and explore the mountains with your family and friends.
The snow is generally stable across the Logan Zone, and it's been over a month since we've seen any significant avalanche activity. We've been finding the best riding conditions on lower-angled slopes in sheltered, shaded terrain. As you'd expect after a month of dry weather conditions, variable snow surface conditions are found in most places, ranging from soft and shallow recrystallized "powder", to smooth springlike "corn snow" in sunny terrain, to thin, breakable, and bulletproof crusts.
The 8400' Tony Grove Snotel reports 28°F, and there is 64 inches of total snow containing 103% of normal SWE for the date. Winds out of the west are blowing around 25 mph this morning at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station. It will be sunny in the mountains again today, with a high temperature at 8500' around 43°F and 13 to 18 mph west winds. Tonight, temperatures will drop to around 19°F, with 16 mph west winds. Expect high temperatures tomorrow around 43°F, and sunny skies again with increasing 16 to 22 mph winds from the west-southwest. Looks like a little snow is possible tomorrow night and Tuesday, with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation forecast for Monday night and 2 to 4 inches possible on Tuesday.
You can find nice smooth, shallow, recrystallized surface snow or "loud powder" in sheltered areas, springlike "corn snow" in sunny terrain, and a wide variety of crusts and thin layers of facets elsewhere.
Recent Avalanches
Friday in steep terrain in the Bear River Range a party of riders triggered a few loose avalanches or sluffs involving 10" to 12" of very loose sugary faceted surface snow. These were manageable but indicate potential for larger avalanches if we do ever get some significant snow accumulations. Yesterday in the Wasatch Range two different parties reported a person being caught in loose dry avalanches or sluffs. Both occurred on steep north facing slopes.
On a sustained slope, this kind of avalanche could be a problem if you get swept into trees or other terrain traps below like gullies or benches...
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
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Description
Remember, LOW avalanche danger doesn't mean NO avalanche danger.
  • Although unlikely, people might trigger shallow hard slab avalanches of drifted snow on steep slopes in wind exposed upper elevation terrain. Some hard wind slabs formed last week on weak faceted surface snow, which may now be a buried persistent weak layer. Watch for and avoid stiffer drifted snow at upper elevations on the lee side of major ridges and in and around terrain features like sub-ridges, gullies, and cliff bands.
  • Loose avalanches (or sluffs) of recrystallized or faceted surface snow are possible on some very steep and sustained slopes. These are generally manageable unless you are caught and pulled into terrain traps like trees, gullies, or benches.
  • Mountain high temperatures will be several degrees warmer today than they were yesterday. Although the snow has been refreezing well at night, warmer mountain temperatures mean small loose wet avalanches may become possible in sheltered sunny terrain in the heat of the day, especially in steep terrain with shallow snow cover and around heat-trapping rocks or cliff bands. Roller balls, pinwheels, and loose sluffs indicate potential for wet avalanche activity. If you start sinking into saturated snow, it's time to move into the shade or leave.
Additional Information
  • 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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