UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed for
Friday, December 2, 2016

Heightened avalanche conditions exist on previously drifted north facing slopes at upper elevations in the backcountry. You might trigger a deep slab avalanche, failing on weak faceted basal snow from before Thanksgiving, on a steep slope with a smooth ground surface. Drifting of existent light surface snow could cause an increase in wind slab danger as winds increase this weekend ahead of the next storm.

  • Very shallow early season snow cover exists in the backcountry, and hitting rocks is still a serious concern.
  • You don't want to take a ride even in a small avalanche, as you could easily be injured with the shallow snow hardly covering up the rocks and dead-fall in avalanche runout zones.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements

You are invited to our annual Pray for Snow fundraiser/party on Wednesday December 7 at the Italian Place in downtown Logan. For tickets and information Go...HERE


Weather and Snow

The Tony Grove Snotel at 8400' reports about 3 inches of very light new snow from yesterday, and there's now about two feet of total snow on most slopes in the area above about 8000'. It's only 6 degrees this morning at 9700' at the CSI Logan Peak weather station, and the wind sensor appears rimed. I'm reading very light winds from the northeast up at the UDOT Hwy 89 Logan Summit weather station. You'll find good powder riding at upper elevations in the backcountry, and lower angled slopes are still fun. Careful because there is still no solid base to keep you off the rocks.


Remember, the Tony Grove Road is a busy shared use area, so you have to watch your speed around pedestrians and dogs. The road is not maintained for driving in the winter and conditions deteriorated significantly with the storm in the past couple days. If you attempt the drive in your 4x4, be prepared with shovel and winter survival gear. Beaver Mountain welcomes up-hill traffic this time of year as it helps to pack out the slopes, but you should consider it as "backcountry terrain" before they open the lifts to the public.


Recent Avalanches

Tuesday, I could see evidence of a good sized natural avalanche on a due north facing slope at around 8700' in East Miller Bowl. The avalanche on a very steep drifted slope was about 2 feet deep and around 40' wide, and it ran a good ways down the bowl into trees below. Similar natural and triggered avalanches were reported in the Central Wasatch and Ogden Area mountains in the last couple days of November.


A fresh natural avalanche on the east side of Miller Bowl (photo from 11/29/2016


Ad
Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Areas with heightened avalanche conditions persist on steep drifted slopes at upper elevations after the blustery storm earlier in the week Deep slabs, failing on old faceted basal snow are possible on north facing slopes with smooth underlying ground surfaces. Pay attention to signs of instability like cracking or collapsing.


Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

There's plenty of nice soft snow on the surface which will easily be transported into drifts and wind slabs if the wind picks up in the next couple days....

Additional Information

A cold upper trough will remain overhead today. High pressure will move over the region tonight into Sunday. A colder upper trough will slowly cross the area through the first half of next week.

Weather Forecast: Tony Grove Lake (41.897,-111.6535), Elevation: 8800'
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -5. Northeast wind 7 to 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as -3. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Wind chill values as low as zero. West wind 11 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. West wind around 15 mph.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 30. West southwest wind 17 to 21 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Sunday Night: Snow. Low around 9. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

General Announcements

The early season is a great time to refresh yourself and practice companion rescue techniques with your partners.


Check out Avalanche Canada's "Rescue at Cherry Bowl" story HERE

Between now and Jan 15th: Donate to the Utah Avalanche Center by shopping at Whole Foods Market Utah! When you visit any Utah Whole Foods Market locations, bring your re-usable bags, Whole Foods will donate a dime per bag to the Utah Avalanche Center - if you say DONATE my bag credit.

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your Instagram.

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 exist.