Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains
Issued by Toby Weed on
Saturday morning, March 28, 2020
Saturday morning, March 28, 2020
The snow is generally stable and the avalanche danger is LOW today on most slopes. Even so, heightened conditions exist, there's MODERATE danger, and it's still possible for people to trigger soft slab avalanches of drifted snow on very steep upper elevation slopes facing the eastern half of the compass. Loose wet avalanches could become possible in the heat of the day.
- Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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The UAC encourages everyone to follow direction from federal, state, city and county officicals. The following is from Joe Dougherty, spokesman for the Utah Division of Emergency Management:
Though outdoor recreation is still permitted under the governor’s Stay Safe/Stay Home directive, we recommend that people maintain a distance of at least 6 feet.
Be extra cautious to avoid injuries outdoors. We are working with our hospital systems to conserve as much personal protective equipment as possible in case of hospitalizations.
Most outdoor injuries can be prevented. Know the conditions and know your limits so you don’t end up in a hospital.
Weather and Snow
It's 20°F at the 8400' Tony Grove Snotel, and 3 inches of light new snow fell overnight. This week's storm brought a bit under two feet of snow with 2" Snow Water Equivalent. There is now 99 inches of total snow with 111% of normal SWE. It's 14°F at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station, and west-northwest winds are currently blowing about 17 mph.
Powder conditions stayed good in north facing terrain yesterday, and you might still be able to find areas with nice snow today. Clouds and cool weather will help preserve conditions and should keep a lid on wet avalanche activity.
We observed a fair amount of natural loose wet sluffing of the storm snow in steep sunny terrain yesterday.
Snow showers are likely in the mountains this afternoon, with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible. 8500' high temperatures of around 31°F and 11 to 13 mph west winds are expected. It will be mostly cloudy in the mountains tonight, with low temperatures expected to be around 17°F and west-southwest wind 7 to 11 mph. Snow showers are likely tomorrow, it will be partly cloudy with high temperatures near 37°F, and west-southwest winds will blow 8 to 11 mph.
Recent Avalanches
Despite large numbers of riders venturing onto steep slopes yesterday, only one small triggered soft slab avalanche was reported. This in Christmas Tree Bowl near Naomi Peak, on a very steep east facing slope at about 9600'.
Several human-triggered avalanches were reported Thursday in the Central Bear River Range. Most were 12-16 inches deep, 50-100 feet wide and ran between 300-500 vertical feet. These were soft wind slab avalanches of new snow on east facing high elevation slopes, failing on the storm/older snow interface (with graupel) and running on a crust from last week's warm weather. Also, a skier triggered a soft slab of moist new snow on a very steep north facing mid elevation slope in Providence Canyon.
In some areas the new snow stabilized quickly while on east facing slopes the new snow was still sensitive and reactive Thursday morning in the Central Bear River Range.
Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
With several human triggered avalanches reported Thursday and drifted new snow failing to stabilize quickly in some areas, it might still be possible to trigger a 1 to 2 foot deep slab avalanche today on a very steep slope. This problem exists mainly at high elevations on slopes facing the eastern half of the compass where moderate winds have deposited snow.
- Watch for cracking as a sign of instability.
Clouds and cool temperatures should keep natural wet avalanche activity to a minimum today, but possible green-housing and seasonal warmth could create heightened loose wet avalanche conditions in steep terrain.
- If the snow where you are gets warm and sticky or slushy, you should move off and out from under steep slopes.
- Evaluate terrain carefully and continue to practice safe travel protocols to minimize your risk. Staying on slopes less than 30 degrees is the best way to avoid problems.
Additional Information
Skiing and riding at closed ski resorts - Some resorts allow access now, and some do not. Please check HERE for the latest info on ski area access.
New to the backcountry (including riding at closed resorts) - Watch the award-winning, 15 minute Know Before You Go video, or take the 5-part, free online-learning series.
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This forecast is from the USDA Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. The forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
We will update this forecast before about 7:30 tomorrow morning.