Forecast - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Wednesday morning, December 10, 2025

A MODERATE avalanche danger exists on some steep west to north to easterly facing slopes above about 9000 feet for triggering a 10-16 inch thick slab that fails on our old Oct/Nov facets. Collapsing and cracking are sure give-aways to site specific instability...but these signs are becoming less common. Due to their tricky nature, I am still avoiding steep terrain with this structure. You can also trigger the isolated and stubborn slab of wind blown snow in the mid and upper elevations today but note these slabs can be found in unusual spots.

It may not be too early to mention the potential for wet loose avalanches. Watch for rollerballs as hints to choose different aspects.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Weather and Snow

Skies are mostly cloudy with breezy winds from the northwest. Overnight lows are in the upper 30s to low 40s(!). That is not a misprnt. For today, we'll see skies trending partly cloudy with continued moderate winds from the west to northwest. Temperatures will rise to the upper 30s up high and the upper 40s down low.

Not only do low-tide conditions exist, but now a breakable crust caps the snow on all aspects up to about 9500'. Fortunately, this crust will soften with daytime warming, but continue exercising caution skiing and riding over thinly buried rocks, stumps, and deadfall in the backcountry. There is less than 2 feet of snow on the ground, even in the high country, and many solar aspects are down to the dirt.

The weather outlook is grim - temps rising to 60°F in the valleys today with mountain temps skyrocketing to the upper 40s this weekend. I don't see any storms until the Solstice.

Recent Avalanches

There were no new avalanches reported from the backcountry or the ski area yesterday. The Provo mountains did, however, experience a widespread avalanche cycle over the weekend, just in lockstep with the storm. UDOT Provo canyon avalanche workers spotted numerous large natural avalanches from the avalanche cycle (perhaps 1-2 feet deep but up to 1500 feet wide) in the upper reaches of the Cascade ridgeline and on Timpanogos.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

A persistent weak layer (PWL) of October and November facets makes up the base of the snowpack on west-north-easterly facing slopes at the mid and upper elevations. In these areas, it is still possible to trigger an avalanche up to about 10-16 inches thick.

This setup was obvious over the weekend, with widespread avalanche activity and plenty of red flags. As we move farther from the loading event, those signs may be less obvious, but the structure has not changed. Sensitivity and overall likelihood are slowly dropping, but the consequences remain high.

Pull out your shovel and the poor snowpack structure is obvious. Note the consolidated slab over the 'rock salt' facets at the base of the snowpack.

Yesterday's observation from near Aspen Grove.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

The west to northwest winds have been cranking for days. And while there is little snow available for transport and time and warmth are helping weld these wind slabs onto the landscape, you might still trigger pockety hard or soft slab in "sneaky" terrain. Caution should still be observed in wind drifted terrain.

General Announcements

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