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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Greg Gagne
Issued by Greg Gagne on
Tuesday morning, March 19, 2024
The avalanche danger will rise to MODERATE for wet snow avalanches on all steep solar (southerly) aspects and some lower elevation polar (northerly) aspects. It's time to move off of these aspects once the snow becomes wet, unsupportable, and unstable.
Avoid traveling on or underneath corniced ridgelines as cornices may collapse due to warming.
Terrain that is prone to glide avalanches should also be avoided.
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The Utah Avalanche Center is hosting The Banff Film Festival on Thursday, March 21, and Friday, March 22 in Moab.
Weather and Snow
This Morning: Clear skies and a slight temperature inversion with readings of 25-30° F at low and mid elevations and right around freezing (32° F) at upper elevations. Winds are light (< 10 mph) with gusts in the low teens at 11,000'.
Today marks the first day of Spring and it will certainly feel like it with sunshine and temperatures rising well into the 40's F. Winds will be from the west/northwest and remain light, with gusts around 15 mph.
Wind, sun, and warm temperatures have taken a toll on snow surfaces, but you can find dry, chalky snow on mid and upper-elevation northerly aspects with a nascent crop of corn developing on solar aspects.
Extended Forecast: Our long period of uncanny easterly winds has run its course as winds shift to a westerly direction and increase Wednesday ahead of unsettled weather and snow showers on Thursday. After a brief break on Friday, a cold front is expected this weekend with unsettled weather through at least the early part of next week. It's too early to talk snowfall amounts, but they could be significant!
Recent Avalanches
There were reports of wet loose avalanches on sunny aspects during afternoon heating, and Nikki reported that almost every south-facing slide path in Little Cottonwood Canyon seems to have already avalanched from her field day in upper Little Cottonwood on Monday.
Check out all recent Observations HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Avalanches involving wet snow will become likely as the snow surface heats up from sunshine and warm temperatures. This problem is most pronounced on steep slopes - especially those around rocky features - facing east/south/west, but also low-elevation northerly facing terrain.
Avoid traveling on or underneath large cornices as they may become sensitive to heating and collapse naturally onto a slope below.
Wet snow can easily be handled by moving to shadier slopes once the snow surface takes on too much heat. Watch for signs of warming such as rollerballs and sluffing in wet snow as shown in the photo below.
Glide avalanches are again a concern and will be with us until the snow has melted. Glide avalanche terrain includes Stairs Gulch, Broads Fork, Mill B South, and Mineral Fork. You can learn more about these large, unpredictable avalanches in this blog post by former UAC director Bruce Tremper.
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.
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