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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Drew Hardesty
Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Saturday morning, February 23, 2019
A MODERATE danger exists for new and developing wind drifts today. The sensitive drifts will be most pronounced on steep north to east to south facing slopes above about 9500'...and pockety elsewhere. Watch for sluffing in the steepest, most confined terrain. Wind sheltered terrain has a generally LOW danger.
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Weather and Snow
Skies hold just a few clouds and a slowly setting and waning gibbous moon. It's a beautiful morning.
Mountain temperatures are generally a few degrees below zero. Winds are west to northwest blowing 10-15mph with gusts to 30. The westerlies along the highest peaks and ridgelines are blowing 30-35mph with gusts to 45.
Snow depths are 115-130" in the upper Cottonwoods and 75-85" along the Park City ridglines. Skiing and riding conditions are excellent.
A moist westerly flow will begin to set up over the next week with some light precipitation (and a bit more wind) in the Ogden and Logan area mountains. Mountain temperatures will slowly warm to the upper 20s along the upper ridgelines by mid-week. For today, we'll have just partly cloudy skies with temps in the low teens at 10,000' and near 20°F at 8500'. The west winds will slowly increase over the course of the day, blowing 20-25mph by late afternoon.
Recent Avalanches
Only shallow wind drifts and loose snow avalanches noted with ski cuts and explosives.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Be on the lookout for developing shallow wind drifts along the higher elevations today. The low density snow will easily move with the increasing westerlies today and tomorrow. These drifts may be up to a foot deep and more pronounced on steep north to east to south facing slopes above 9500'. Due to terrain channeling, pockety drifts may be found in the mid-elevations of all aspects. Take note that it may be possible for some drifts to be triggered remotely (at a distance).
Stubborn drifts may be found on westerly aspects from Thursday's easterly winds.
Additional Information
There is a very isolated chance a person, cornice or smaller slide could trigger a slide breaking on facets near the ground, in thinner snowpack areas or slopes that have previously slid this winter.
General Announcements
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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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