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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Dave Kelly
Issued by Dave Kelly for
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Avalanches are possible if you're traveling in the mountains. The main issue will be fresh deposits of wind-drifted snow that could produce slab avalanches. However, in some places where 2-3 feet of snow may accumulate, the new snow alone may produce soft slab avalanches or sluffs of new snow. Wind drifts look rounded and pillowy and form on the leeward side of terrain features. Be particularly cautious in steep terrain during periods of increased snowfall and winds.
Heads up for this weekend's wet, warm, and windy storm.
NOTE: As we get up and running this season please consult the updated Salt Lake Forecast and check out our observations page. We will continue updating information about weather in the Provo area mountains but will hold off issuing danger ratings until coverage increases and we get more snowpack data.
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Special Announcements
Remember to treat ski areas as backcountry terrain and check each resort's travel restrictions on the Resort Uphill Policy page before accessing their terrain.
The ski areas are getting ready for their operating seasons to start so please be respectful of equipment and employees both on and off the slopes.
Give snowcats and snowmobiles a wide berth as they move around their terrain.
With the start of the season it's time to brush up on some continuing education. Check out the upcoming Beacons in the Park, PROSAW, and USAW, events next week.
Weather and Snow
The Provo Area Mountains reported eight inches of new snow from Wednesday's storm.
Keep an eye out for fresh wind drifts and places that are holding more snow. Steep northwest through southeast facing gullies with rocky run outs come to mind as locations that may harbor deeper snow.
Look for signs of instability such as cracking and collapsing while traveling up or down slopes.
A fresh blanket of snow can be incredibly beautiful! The problem is that it hides all the rocks, stumps, logs, and other things that may serious injuries if you're caught in even a small avalanche.
We still have an early season snow pack with just enough snow to trigger slides as we saw from recent avalanche activity. As well as thinking about whether a slope has the potential to slide, factor in where you will end up if you are swept off your feet.
Recent Avalanches
Check out our observations page for the latest updates from around Utah. Please keep these observations coming.
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Additional Information
A Few Things to Remember:
  • It doesn't matter what you're doing in the mountains-going for a hike, hunting, trying to ski, board, snowshoe or firing up the snowmachine: be prepared for avalanches
  • Triggering any avalanche regardless of its size can produce serious trauma because of a thin snowpack
  • Hitting rocks and stumps is a real danger. Don't end your season early from hitting one of these obstacles
  • Treat ski resorts as backcountry terrain and check out the UAC site for resort uphill travel policies
Even if you're not planning to get onto the snow, it's never too early to start thinking about avalanches. A few things to consider doing:
1. Attend USAW and learn more about avalanches and decision making. (scroll down to the bottom of this page for more info and links)
2. Sign up for an avalanche class.
4. Take the all-new online avalanche courses the UAC built for Know Before You Go or take other online courses listed on the KBYG website (Develop skills -> Online Learning).
5. Get your avalanche rescue gear ready for winter. Put fresh batteries in your transceiver and update the firmware. Inspect your shovel and probe. Get your airbag backpack ready by possibly doing a test deployment and update the firmware if it is an electric version.
Sign up for the 15th Annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) one night left, November 9th. Sign up and get more info HERE.
The Avalanche Professional and Ski Patrol Snow and Avalanche Workshop (PROSAW) will be during the day of November 7th. Sign up and get more info HERE. (note - PROSAW will be offered both in-person and virtual).
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.
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