Forecast: Ogden Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Trent Meisenheimer on
Sunday morning, January 26, 2025

Pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger exist on all aspects at the upper elevations and on mid-elevation aspects facing west through north and east where it is possible to trigger an old hard slab avalanche or a new shallow soft slab of wind-drifted snow.

On northerly and east-facing slopes at the mid and upper elevations, there is a MODERATE danger of triggering an avalanche that fails 2-3 feet deep in a persistent weak layer.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

Learn how to read the forecast here

Special Announcements

Urgent battery replacement required for anyone who received batteries from one of our participating "Batteries for Beacons" shops. Please review the "Batteries for Beacons" replacement notice on our blog. Batteries distributed through our "Batteries for Beacons" program this year have shown to be inadequate length.

Join the UAC at Deer Valley on January 30th for the 2nd Annual Blizzard Ball Gala. Bruce Tremper, the Former Director of the Utah Avalanche Center, will deliver the keynote address.

Weather and Snow

Under partly cloudy skies, mountain temperatures range from 10-15 °F. The wind has calmed down and hardly blows across the upper elevations. In the past 24 hours, the mountains picked up roughly 1 to 4.5 inches of new snow with 0.10 to 0.17 inches of snow water equivalent.

Today, we will see partly cloudy skies with plenty of sunshine at times. Mountain temperatures will climb into the upper 20s °F, and the wind should remain generally from the south and blow 5-10 mph across the upper elevations. I imagine the new snow improved the riding conditions and it should be a lovely day to be in the mountains.

Recent Avalanches

None. Observations and Avalanches

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Strong wind from the past week has created hard slabs of wind-drifted snow in many areas. These slabs formed over our faceted snow surface. You can find these wind slabs well off ridgelines and on all aspects, but more commonly on north through east slopes. Be on the lookout for wind slabs today, and remember, hard wind slabs allow you to get well out onto a slope before fracturing, often even above you.

Yesterday, the wind blew from the east-northeast and east-southeast at speeds of 15-25 mph for roughly 24 hours. Therefore, be on the lookout for new shallow soft or hard slabs of wind-drifted snow. These drifts could be in areas we aren't used to because the east wind component is odd for us.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Triggering an avalanche that fails in the buried facets and depth hoar down near the ground is becoming increasingly unlikely and this avalanche problem is close to dormancy. Steep, thin rocky terrain is the most suspect where you can trigger an avalanche failing in the deeply-buried persistent weak layer, and any avalanche involving a recent wind slab may step down to these deeper buried layers.

General Announcements

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. 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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures