Overnight and newly developing soft and hard wind drifts are expected on many aspects and elevations today and may be triggered at a distance. Avoid steep cross-loaded gullies and note that drifts may be well down off the ridgelines. Natural activity is expected today with the new snow and strong winds. Cracking and collaspsing are immediate signs of instability.

The snowpack has many new and old generally strengthening weak layers from early season and during the Christmas/New Year's holiday season. These have been more prominent at the mid and low elevations. Surface hoar is a notoriously tricky weak layer and the Ogden mountains may have one or two distinct layers of this frost in protected, if localized terrain. They are problematic in that they can release on very low slope angles (even less than 30°) and are often triggered at a distance. Be aware that you may trigger these from below.

Forecasted snow and wind will be a good test for these weaknesses, particularly in thinner snowpack areas of generally less than 3' in depth. Note that any new storm and wind slab avalanches may step down to these old instabilities, particularly on northwest to southeast facing slopes.

The warm early start to the storm may allow the rain/snow line to reach 7000-7500' today. Wet avalanches will be possible at these elevations and may run naturally at and after the onset of rain. Gullies and terrain traps may fill with wet loose debris. This hazard may be of particular interest to otherwise "low risk" groups such as trail runners, snow shoers, and people walking their dogs.