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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Trent Meisenheimer
Issued by Trent Meisenheimer on
Sunday morning, November 30, 2025

If you are heading out today, keep your guard up on mid and upper elevation north facing terrain above about 8,500 feet. Watch for fresh drifts of wind blown snow and avoid slopes that hold old weak faceted snow. The snowpack is thin, faceted in spots, and just starting to wake up for the season. Any avalanche you trigger right now will be a nasty ride that drags you through rocks, stumps, and all the early season hazards hiding just under the surface.

Check out my video describing what slopes to avoid HERE. And be sure to read our latest blog "A Classic Early-season Intermountain Snowpack"

Be sure to check the uphill travel policies at each resort. We’ll keep you posted as storms line up and the season starts to take shape.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements

SAVE THE DATES!

Saturday, December 6th - Our 18th Annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW). This session will be held in-person at the Wasatch Jr High School Auditorium. 3750 S 3100 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84109. Information and tickets are available here.

Avalanche Awareness Week!

The 7th Annual Avalanche Awareness is the first week of December! This week is jam-packed with events to get you ready for the season and a chance to connect with other backcountry users. We hope to see you out there!

Weather and Snow

It’s snowing, and I couldn’t be more stoked. Overnight and into this morning, a small storm has moved onto our doorstep. Winds have shifted from the west-southwest to the northwest and have eased off. Right now, ridgetop winds are blowing 5 to 10 mph with gusts in the 20s. Mountain temperatures are sitting between 16 and 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

Today we can expect cold temperatures and steady mountain snow. Winds will continue from the west and northwest at 5 to 10 mph with gusts in the 20s across the upper elevations. Mountain temperatures will stay below freezing. If everything lines up, we might squeeze out 5 to 10 inches of new snow with about 0.50 to 0.90 inches of water from today’s storm.

Looking ahead, things get exciting—depending on which weather model you trust. The extended forecast offers a wide range of outcomes, but the one thing I do know is this: there’s no high pressure on the horizon. That keeps the door wide open for storms, with the next system arriving Tuesday into Wednesday.

Hello winter.

Recent Avalanches

None. Be sure to check out all observations HERE.

Additional Information

My two cents: it’s really not worth it yet. On shady mid and upper elevation slopes, we have roughly 5 to 12 inches of old faceted snow hanging on. Those are the only slopes anyone might even think about riding, but they are also the exact places where you are most likely to trigger an avalanche. Anywhere that has seen sun has no snow at all. It is bare ground with just a skiff of new snow on top (see image below).

We need more snow before travel becomes even remotely doable on skis, a board, or sleds. For now, I would get your gear ready, put fresh batteries in your beacon, and run some yard drills to sharpen your skills for the season ahead, or head up to Brighton and jib some rails at the Bonezone.

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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