BOTTOM LINE
Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)
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Danger Rose Tutorial
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There is MODERATE (2) danger in the backcountry around Logan this morning, with storm snow and wind slab avalanches possible on upper elevation slopes approaching and steeper than about 35 degrees. The danger will rise today and could become CONSIDERABLE (3), with continued heavy snowfall and west winds in the forecast, especially on slopes with significant deposits of new or drifted new snow...
Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making are essential for safe backcountry travel today. |
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CURRENT CONDITIONS |
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The Central Bear River Range picked up a nice shot of fresh powder overnight, temperatures dropped, the winds calmed, and winter has returned to the region... Leading the snowfall count is the Franklin Basin Snotel, just north of the Idaho State Line, which reports nearly a foot of new snow overnight, containing an inch of water... Its a cool 12 degrees at the Campbell Scientific-Logan Peak weather station at 9700', and there's a north wind currently averaging less than 10 mph.... The Tony Grove Snotel reports about 6" of new snow containing 6/10ths of an inch of water overnight. The station reports 68" of total snow, containing 63% of average water for the date..... |
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RECENT ACTIVITY |
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A rider on a powder-surf board triggered a soft wind slab avalanche and was then caught and carried over rocks in steep terrain west of Tony Grove Lake on Saturday. The 12 to 18 inch deep and 50' wide avalanche involved drifted fresh snow deposited in a couple dusty layers by the windy Thursday-Friday storms, and the slab failed on the crusty old snow interface....
Here's an updated local backcountry avalanche list:
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THREAT #1 |
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PROBABILITY |
SIZE |
TREND |
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Over the next
24 hours.
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Storm snow and wind slab avalanches are possible this morning and the danger is likely to rise today with significantly more snow and increasing west winds likely. In some areas today's new storm snow may not bond very well to much warmer underlying snow. Storm snow avalanches may fail on weak layers or density differences within the new snow. Natural avalanches may occur during periods of intense heavy snowfall... |
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THREAT #2 |
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PROBABILITY |
SIZE |
TREND |
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Over the next
12 hours.
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Today's new snow buried and obscured stiff wind slabs in and around terrain features well off ridge-lines formed by strong winds earlier in the week.
Watch out for fresh or buried wind slabs around rock outcroppings or cliffy areas, near sub-ridges and in gullies or scoops. Today's wind slabs will not necessarily be obvious and you should use caution in complex terrain... Even shallow or soft wind slabs or storm snow avalanches could be a problem if you get caught and carried into trees or other terrain traps below.... |
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MOUNTAIN WEATHER |
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Snow will continue in the mountains today and taper off tonight... 5 to 9 inches of accumulation forecast with moderate to strong west winds today.... The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the mountains in out area through Tomorrow morning. |
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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS |
Send us your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call me at 435-757-7578 or the SLC office at 800-662-4140, or email to uac@utahavalanchecenter.org
Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.
The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
I will update this forecast Friday morning. We'll go to weekend and intermittent updates in April. Thanks for checking in.... |
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This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur. |
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This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:
The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list. |
