Forecast: Salt Lake Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Friday morning, March 13, 2026

Spring Diurnal: The hazard assessment suggests that the only substantial hazard is from wet loose avalanches during the afternoon thaw phase of the diurnal freeze-thaw cycle. To be precise - this morning's LOW danger will rise to MODERATE for wet loose avalanches with today's sun and warming temperatures.

Recently formed hard wind slabs and the buried PWL (persistent weak layer) are mostly dormant and triggering one of these is unlikely but not impossible. Continue to avoid glide avalanche terrain such as Stairs, Broads, Mill B South, and upper Porter Fork.

Remember that risk is inherent in mountain travel.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Weather and Snow

Spring skiing (and booting in the mud, lower down) in Mill B South, BCC - Dave Kelly

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Skies are mostly clear. Winds from the west-northwest continue raking the high peaks and ridgelines to the tune of 50mph with gusts near 70mph. Some of the lower anemometers spin at 15-20mph with gusts to 30. Temperatures continue to warm and there was a marginal refreeze overnight in the low to mid-elevations (42-45°F!) as well as nearly all the terrain outside of the Cottonwoods: PC ridgeline, Mill Creek, Ogden, Provo.

For today - more sun with occasional high clouds drifting through. Temperatures again rise to the upper 30s up high and near 50°F down low. You'll find good supportable corn skiing and riding on the smooth solar aspects, but the window will close earlier than yesterday. Some guides and observers swore there was good soft cold snow in the upper elevation shady terrain, but I don't believe them.

The Outlook - Continued warming until a sharp cold front temporarily breaks the spell Saturday afternoon. Temps plummet to the upper single digits post-frontal and we'll be lucky to see 2-4". The much-anticipated HEAT DOME builds for next week, with temps skyrocketing to the 50s up high while flirting with 80°F in the valley. I heard from some astronomers that told me that it wasn't actually true that the sun would touch down Utah next week; so I must admit to a little exaggeration. Not all is lost, though! - the week(s) after look potentially active.

The Week in Review is Hot off the Press - Click HERE

Recent Avalanches

Ski areas along the PC ridgeline noted some new wet loose sluffs on steep solar aspects yesterday afternoon.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Spring Diurnal: The hazard assessment suggests that the only substantial hazard is from wet loose avalanches during the afternoon thaw phase of the diurnal freeze-thaw cycle.

Wet loose sluffs can be expected on the steep sunny aspects with sun and daytime warming. IF the cirrus clouds act as a thin blanket, greenhousing may occur and some polar aspects may become damp and unstable as well. PAY ATTENTION to how the snow is reacting to the sun and temps today.

Cornices tend to calve naturally during the springtime. Avoid being on or beneath these ridgeline hazards.

Glide avalanches have been releasing naturally in the past week. These full depth and destructive avalanches are difficult to forecast and its worth avoiding known habitat (on steep and smooth quartzite slabs) such as Stairs, Broads, and Mill B South of Big Cottonwood Canyon, and upper Porter Fork in Mill Creek.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Visiting guide and avalanche pro Lisa Van Sciver looked closely at our buried PWL yesterday along the Wolverine/Tuscarora ridgeline and her report is HERE.

The Dry January Layer (DJL) of faceted snow is 2-4 feet deep and buried by a strong slab and supportable crusts, with the last reported human-triggered avalanche failing on the DJL was nearly two weeks ago. An outlier large natural avalanche, however, ran at the end of the storm on March 6th in Stairs Gulch, extreme terrain in mid-Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The bulk of the avalanche failing on the PWL occurred during the mid-February avalanche cycle, with two outliers releasing at the end of the last storm.

We now view the PWL as dormant and human triggered avalanches are unlikely but not impossible. If you're looking for trouble, however, you may find it in recently wind loaded, steep, thin, rocky terrain in the highest elevations on the north side of the compass; you know, extreme terrain like Stairs Gulch, Lone Peak, the Coalpit Headwall, Airplane Peak; etc.

Looking ahead: with the skyrocketing temperatures next week, we anticipate the PWL becoming active again as melt water percolates down to the faceted grains and wet slab avalanches become our central avalanche problem. Stay tuned.

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.

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