Forecast: Salt Lake Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Issued by Greg Gagne on
Friday morning, April 12, 2024

The overall avalanche danger is LOW this morning and rises to MODERATE on steep aspects facing west, south, and east at the low and mid elevations as the snow warms. Avalanche activity may involve smaller loose-wet snow avalanches and larger wet slabs. Both natural and human-triggered cornice falls are possible.

Timing is everything - move off of steep slopes once the snow becomes wet and unsupportable.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Weather and Snow

This morning: Skies are clear and temperatures are 35° - 40° F, which is about 10° degrees warmer than yesterday morning. Winds are from the south and have increased overnight, with gusts in the 20's and 30's mph at the mid and upper elevations.

Temperatures are cool enough and, with clear skies, there should be a moderate refreeze of the snow surface this morning.

Today will feature sunshine and the warmest temperatures of the season with 8,000' temperatures approaching 60° F and 10,000' temperatures in the mid 40's F. The winds will be from the south/southwest and will average in the teens with gusts in the 20's mph along exposed mid-elevation ridgelines. Upper elevation wind speeds will average in the 20's mph with gusts in the mid and upper 30's mph.

Winds may limit the softening of the snow surface at the upper elevations.

Extended Outlook: Sunshine and warm temperatures this weekend, with increasing clouds Sunday. The week ahead features unsettled weather with chances for snow.

Recent Avalanches

Wet avalanche activity Thursday afternoon was reported as the sun warmed the snow surface. This included

a wet slab avalanche near Hellgate in upper Little Cottonwood, and

loose-wet avalanches in Argenta and a wet slab on Circle Awl (photo below) in Big Cottonwood.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Strong sunshine and the warmest temperatures of the season mean another day of wet avalanche activity with the potential for natural and human-triggered loose-wet avalanches and wet slab avalanches on steep, sunny slopes and low-elevation northerly slopes. Winds may limit the softening of the snow surface at the upper elevations.

The wet slab avalanches are the most concern. In Drew's field work on Thursday in upper Big Cottonwood, he identified some crusts which may provide the structure for wet slab avalanches.

Wet snow is the easiest avalanche problem to avoid: timing is everything - simply move to shady slopes once the snow surface becomes wet and unsupportable. Signs that the snow surface is becoming wet include rollerballs and pinwheels. Watch for terrain traps where the concrete-like wet snow can accumulate.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Outside of wet avalanches, the snowpack is generally stable and human-triggered avalanches are unlikely. Two things to keep in mind:

Cornice collapses. These may be either natural or human-triggered, especially as the snow warms up. On sunny slopes, a cornice fall may trigger a wet slab avalanche on the slope below.

Glide Avalanches. These natural avalanches will release the entire season's snowpack and can occur at any time. As Drew writes in his observation, "I would avoid all of Stairs Gulch and choose only the most benign terrain well out of the runout zones of Broads Fork. Mill B South and Main Porter (higher locales) have pockets of glide terrain as well."

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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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