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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed for
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
The avalanche danger is LOW, and if people use normal caution in the backcountry, they are unlikely to have problems with avalanches today.
Use normal caution while you travel in the mountains.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Weather and Snow
Drifting by an overnight increase in winds from the northwest and west may have elevated the danger of shallow wind slab avalanches and cornice falls in exposed upper-elevation terrain. Also, with mountain temperatures this morning around 10°F warmer than yesterday's, the surface snow will probably become damp in sunny terrain during the day, and small wet avalanches may become possible.
Yesterday, riders found lingering dry snow in upper-elevation terrain and shallow, damp snow on a solid crust elsewhere.
The snow at lower elevations is melting pretty fast, with none or very little remaining on slopes facing southeast, south, southwest, and west. Despite this, access from the Logan Canyon Trailheads is still good (you ride on snow once you leave the parking areas), and snow coverage is excellent in upper and mid-elevation terrain.
***Rock-hard frozen cornice chunks and debris piles from last week's wet avalanche activity lurk beneath last weekend's snow on many steep upper-elevation slopes. If you unintentionally hit one of these hidden "death cookies," it could ruin your day.
The Tony Grove Lake Snotel at 8400' reported 8 inches from the weekend storm. It's 32°F this morning, and there is 99 inches of total snow at the site, which contains 122% of normal snow water equivalent.
At the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station, increasing winds are blowing from the northwest at 22 mph with gusts in the 30s, and it is 24°F.
At UAC's new Paris Peak weather station at 9500', it's 22°F, and at 6:00, the wind is blowing from the west, also reading 22 mph with gusts in the 30s.
It's 26°F at UAC's new Card Canyon weather station at 8800', and there is 85 inches of snow total.
Expect sunny skies in the mountains today. High temperatures should reach around 40°F at 8500', and the wind will blow from the west-northwest 9 to 13 mph along the ridges.
High pressure will control the weather, so expect fair conditions in the mountains with increasingly warm daytime temperatures through the end of the week. Friday's high temperatures on Naomi Peak at the top of the Bear River Range are forecast to reach 54°F. Snow showers are possible early next week.
If you would like more detailed information, you can visit our mountain weather page HERE.
Recent Avalanches
We received a report of a small human-triggered wind slab avalanche on the north side of Mitton Peak in the Wellsville Mountain Wilderness that occurred on Sunday. No other avalanches were reported recently, but with clearing Monday afternoon, we observed a few roller ball swarms on the Folly, a (south) west-facing slope in Logan Dry Canyon. We observed similar minor wet activity in the Wellsville Range yesterday.
Check out all local observations and avalanches HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Winds blowing generally from the west increased again overnight and were blowing 22 mph on Paris Peak at 6:00 this morning. The wind is finding only minimal snow to drift, but it may be possible today for people to trigger slab avalanches of stiffer drifted snow or cornice falls in upper elevation terrain on slopes steeper than 30°.
  • Avoid drifted snow or wind slabs on the lee side of major ridges and in and around terrain features like sub ridges, gully walls, mid-slope rollovers, scoops, and cliff bands.
  • Wind slabs may have formed on slopes beneath cornices, and large and overhanging cornices may break further back than expected. Increasing daytime heat in the next few days will cause these to buckle, and some may naturally calve off large pieces, threatening people who may be on slopes below.
  • Watch for signs of instability, like cracking, recent avalanches, or cornice falls on similar slopes.
  • As always, practice safe travel protocols to avoid exposing more than one person to avalanche danger.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Solar warmth will cause the surface snow to become damp, prone to producing loose, wet avalanches that entrain the new snow. On sustained slopes, these could produce good-sized piles of heavy cement-like debris.
  • Rapid warming, roller balls, pinwheels, and wet sluffs or small point-release avalanches are red flags indicating unstable wet snow.
  • Avoid travel on or under steep slopes with saturated surface snow. Stay off steep slopes above terrain traps like trees, sinks, gullies, or rock bands that small wet avalanches could sweep you into.
Additional Information
Check out McKinley Talty's new blog post, "Do We Let Our Guard Down in the Spring?" about springtime mindsets and avalanche incidents... HERE.
General Announcements
-National Forest Winter Recreation Travel Maps show where it's open to ride: UWCNF Logan, Ogden LRD Tony Grove, Franklin Basin CTNF Montpelier
-Sign up for forecast region-specific text message alerts. You will receive messages about changing avalanche conditions, watches, and warnings...HERE.
-For all questions on forecasts, education, Know Before You Go, events, online purchases, or fundraising, call 801-365-5522.
-To report an avalanche or submit an observation from the backcountry, go HERE.
-Come practice companion rescue at the Franklin Basin TH Beacon Training Park. It's free and open to everyone. For easy user instructions, go HERE.
-We will issue regular daily updates of our forecast through April 14.
-We will update this forecast tomorrow by 7:30 AM.
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.
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