Donate to the 2024 Spring Campaign to help rebuild the UAC website.

Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Trent Meisenheimer
Issued by Trent Meisenheimer for
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
There is a CONSIDERABLE danger on steep west to north to east-facing aspects at the mid and upper elevations where you are likely to trigger an avalanche 1-3' deep failing on a buried persistent weak layer of faceted snow. Natural avalanches are possible today.
There is a MODERATE danger on all other aspects. This involves fast and long-running sluffs in the new snow as well as pockets of fresh wind drifts across the upper elevations.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Avalanche Watch
IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM MST THIS MORNING TO 6 AM MST Wednesday
For the mountains of northern Utah, including the Wasatch Range, Western Uintas, Southeast Idaho, and the Bear River Range.
A powerful winter storm could create very dangerous avalanche conditions in the backcountry. The avalanche danger for the watch area will likely rise to HIGH on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall and blowing snow could create widespread areas of unstable snow. Human triggered, and natural avalanches will become likely. People should avoid travel in avalanche terrain and stay off and out from under slopes steeper than 30°
Weather and Snow
With light snowfall and cloudy skies, the mountain temperatures range from 10-15 °F. Overnight the winds picked up from the west and are currently blowing 10-15 mph gusting into the 20's and 30's across the upper elevation ridges. At 11,000', the winds are blowing northwest 25-30 mph, gusting 50.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning that will be in effect from 11:00 am Tuesday lasting until 5:00 pm Wednesday. We can expect snow to fill into the northern Utah mountains around 8:00 am this morning. Winds will remain from the west north-west at speeds of 10-20 mph with gusts into the 20's & 30's across the upper elevations.
We should see light snowfall throughout today with perhaps 2-4" of new snow this afternoon. Around 4:00 pm, the snowfall will begin to intensify and could reach rates of 2" per hour later today and into tonight. We could see 12-24 inches (1.0-1.55) of new snow by Wednesday evening when we are all set and done.
Recent Avalanches
Ad
Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
It's pretty simple. We have very weak faceted snow (persistent weak layer) now buried roughly 10-16 inches deep, and this layer is actively producing avalanches (see recent activity). With more snow and an increase in the wind, this problem is only getting more dangerous.
Yesterday, these avalanches were 1-2 feet deep and up to 200 feet wide. As the snow begins to stack up, it will overload this weak layer again, and I expect the avalanches to gain significant volume. Meaning the avalanches will be getting deeper, wider, and more dangerous, perhaps now 1-3 feet deep and several hundred feet wide. Close calls will turn into accidents. I would strongly encourage sticking to slopes less than 30° in steepness and avoiding avalanche terrain altogether.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The westerly winds did pick up overnight and seemed to only be blowing across the uppermost elevations this morning. However, as the storm gets going, the forecast is for these westerly winds to increase throughout the day, and there is plenty of new snow to blow around.
As always, watch for and avoid the snow that looks pillowy and rounded. This problem will only be compounding if you have weak snow underneath the wind drifted snow, allowing for the avalanche to be that much deeper.
Avalanche Problem #3
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
As the new snow begins to stack up, I would be on the lookout for long-running dry loose avalanches and instabilities within the new snow (storm slabs). Use test slopes and shovel tilt tests to see how the new snow behaves.
General Announcements
Who's up for some free avalanche training? Get a refresher, become better prepared for an upcoming avalanche class, or just boost your skills. Go to https://learn.kbyg.org/ and scroll down to Step 2 for a series of interactive online avalanche courses produced by the UAC.
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.