Forecast: Salt Lake Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Monday morning, March 20, 2023

The avalanche danger is MODERATE in the mid and upper elevations.

You'll be able to trigger loose dry new snow avalanches as well as lingering and developing slabs of wind drifted snow up high. New snow avalanches are particularly sensitive during any periods of high and sustained rates of snowfall.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Weather and Snow

Happy first day of spring.

We have a fairly active week with weather. This first impulse has already brought 3-6" of snow across the range. Mountain temperatures are in the upper teens to mid-20s. Winds are light to moderate out of the south.

For today, we'll see continued snowfall - perhaps 4-8" during the day. Winds will veer to the west and be gusty along the highest ridgelines during and just after frontal passage this afternoon.

We get a bit of a break tomorrow ahead of another potent storm Tuesday night into early Friday. We may see as much as 25-35"+ of snow with this system. The weather pattern remains active for the weekend into next week.

Recent Avalanches

Along the Silver Fork headwall, a natural cornice fall triggered a 14" deep and 100' wide soft slab of wind drifted snow on a steep north facing slope at 9700'. pic 1

In Boulder Basin of upper White Pine, a skier triggered a hard slab of wind drifted snow on a 28° slope that was connected to a steeper slope. It broke 18" deep and 200' wide. pic 2

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

You'll still be able to trigger lingering soft and hard slabs of wind drifted snow from Saturday/Sunday, primarily in the upper elevation bands, and predominantly on the north side of the compass. Note that these 1-2' thick slabs can be found well off the ridgelines and on mid-slope breakovers. Along the highest ridgelines, the moderate winds from the south (and then west) will blow the new snow into shallow but sensitive soft slabs in steep terrain. You may be able to trigger these at a distance.

CORNICES are not to be messed with. They are as big as I can remember and they can crush a skier or rider that either falls over the edge with one.....or crush a skier or rider below.

For more thoughts on our current setup, click HERE.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Loose dry sluffs in the new snow can be triggered in steep terrain of all aspects in the mid and upper elevations...and may run naturally during periods of higher snowfall rates. I suspect they'll run fast and far on the underlying bed surfaces of slick sun and wind crusts or loose faceted grains. More info on sluffs and sluff management.

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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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