The DJL (Dry January Layer) is now buried 1 to 3 feet beneath the surface and has been responsible for four avalanche fatalities, several accidents, and more than 60 reported avalanches.

Over the past few days, fewer obvious signs of instability have appeared during backcountry travel and in snowpits, suggesting the snowpack is gradually gaining strength. In many areas, the Ogden mountains received rain all the way to the summits, creating many crust interfaces, and the facets appear to have absorbed most of the stress during both loading events, likely requiring another large load to see activity increase again. That said, we are only a few days past the last significant loading event, and uncertainty remains, especially given the poor snowpack structure and spatial variability across the range.

The most suspect areas are higher-elevation, thinner snowpack zones where the facets do not seem as wet and as many complex crust interfaces do not exist. Continue to pay attention, evaluate snow and terrain carefully, and travel conservatively in the backcountry.

Semi-supportable crust at the surface - N aspect - near 9000' from my field day yesterday near Snowbasin

Previous rain on snow and warm temperatures have created a saturated, unsupportable snowpack at mid and low elevations.

As daytime temperatures rise and the surface crust softens, wet snow avalanches may be triggered. Low- and mid-elevation north-facing aspects where persistent weak layers exist are the most concerning and should be avoided during the warmest part of the day.

Strong west winds, combined with dense snow from Wednesday, are creating thick, stiff slabs and large cornices along upper-elevation ridges. These slabs may be difficult to trigger, but could break above you. Look for signs of wind-drifted snow like round, pillow-shaped drifts.