Yesterday's strong northerly winds created wind slabs on all upper elevation terrain, including well off the ridgelines and areas where the wind cross loaded snow into gullies. This morning winds continue to be from the WNW in the 15-20 mph range, gusting into the 30's at upper elevations. Winds are expected to switch to the southwest later this morning and increase as another storm approaches northern Utah. There is abundant powder snow available for transport, so new sensitive wind drifts will build and become easy to trigger today.

Wind can change the landscape and increase the avalanche danger faster than any other weather factor, so be alert to the changing conditions and reevaluate often. Natural avalanches are possible today, so be aware of what’s above you even when you are in wind-sheltered terrain. Plumes off the peaks, cracking of denser snow or your tracks filling in are key signs of wind drifting.

Out of wind effected terrain it is possible to trigger a storm slab failing on last Wednesday's storm. Many observers were seeing full propagation in their snowpit tests on this layer of low density stellars. It's complicated - avoid all avalanche terrain today and stick to low angle slopes that aren't steeper than 30 degrees to enjoy the new snow.

Any new snow avalanche in upper elevation west through east facing terrain may step down to the weak sugary facets. These slides will likely be 1-2' deep and a few hundred feet wide and may be un-survivable. Avalanches can be triggered from a distance today, so avoid being on, adjacent, or under any terrain steeper than 30 degrees. This storm was a good test to see how our weak sugary snowpack reacted under stress. Your weight will be additional stress today if entering the upper elevation steep northerly terrain, where I would bet you'll trigger an avalanche.

Photo: Trent Meisenheimer, field day along the Days Fork ridgeline. This is a good example of the terrain we want to avoid today.