Forecast - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Nikki Champion on
Monday morning, January 27, 2025

Avalanche danger is MODERATE on all aspects at upper elevations. You could trigger older hard slabs or new shallow soft slabs of wind-drifted snow, with signs like surface texture possibly hidden by recent snow. Be extra cautious on ridgelines and other terrain features that could catch wind.

On northerly and east-facing slopes, there’s a low likelihood of triggering avalanches 1-3 feet deep in a persistent weak layer, but the risk remains.

Watch for shallow wet-loose avalanches as the sun heats southerly slopes.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Special Announcements

Urgent battery replacement required for anyone who received batteries from one of our participating "Batteries for Beacons" shops. Please review the "Batteries for Beacons" replacement notice on our blog. Batteries distributed through our "Batteries for Beacons" program this year have shown to be inadequate length.

Join the UAC at Deer Valley on January 30th for the 2nd Annual Blizzard Ball Gala. Bruce Tremper, the Former Director of the Utah Avalanche Center, will deliver the keynote address.

Weather and Snow

Under clear skies, there’s a temperature inversion in the mountains, with trailhead temperatures in the single digits and ridgetops in the upper teens to low 20s (°F). Southeasterly winds remained calm, with the highest elevation ridgelines gusting below 20 mph.

Today, expect clear and sunny skies, with temperatures rising into the low-30s (°F). The east-southeasterly winds will stay light, with gusts below 25 mph at the highest ridgelines. An easterly weather pattern will continue through midweek as a low-pressure system slowly tracks east across Arizona. Otherwise, stable conditions and mostly clear skies will stick around across northern Utah.

Despite the high winds earlier this week, the few inches of new snow have really improved riding conditions in a lot of areas.

Recent Avalanches

No new avalanches were reported from the Ogden area yesterday.

Observations and Avalanches

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

We’ve got two main wind-related avalanche issues right now.

This weekend’s southeast winds created new shallow soft and hard slabs, possibly in unexpected spots due to the unusual wind direction.

Strong winds over the past week also built widespread hard slabs on a faceted snow surface. These slabs are still sensitive and most common on upper elevation north through east slopes, but can extend beyond ridgelines and be found on all aspects. Hard slabs are tricky because they can fracture unexpectedly, letting you get far onto or below a slope before they break.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Triggering an avalanche that fails in the buried facets and depth hoar near the ground is becoming increasingly unlikely, and this avalanche problem is close to dormancy.

The most suspect terrain is steep, thin, rocky areas, where an avalanche could fail in the deeply buried persistent weak layer.

Additionally, any avalanche involving a recent wind slab could step down to these deeper layers.

Additional Information

Check out this insightful blog by Paige, Jeremy, and Drew where they break down the complexities of Persistent Weak Layer (PWL) avalanches, why thin and rocky areas are especially dangerous, and how to manage the risks effectively in the backcountry.

Understanding the Risk of Persistent Weak Layer Avalanches

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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures