March Kicks Off Our Spring Campaign- Donate Now to Support Forecasting
Ad
The National Forest Service Logo
icon-add Observation
Forecasts
Logan Ogden Salt Lake Provo Uintas Skyline Moab Abajos Weather Archives How to read the forecast
Observations & Avalanches
Submit Observation Observations Explorer All Observations Avalanches Fatalities Weather Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Class List UAC Class List Online Classes Resources and Tutorials Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills
Events
Store
About
Contact Who we are Core Values Staff Board of Directors Past Forecasters Sponsors Annual Reports Sign In
Blog
icon-add Observation
Donate / Join

Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Thursday morning, March 6, 2025
New snow and some stronger wind this afternoon will increase the avalanche danger a bit today. The danger will reach the upper end of the MODERATE danger rating.
Watch for fresh drifts and wind drifted slabs of snow this afternoon. These may be sensitive while they're forming.
Also keep in mind that there is still plenty of weak sugary snow deeper in the snowpack. Chances for triggering a deeper avalanche aren't all that great but there's still a chance. These would be the most dangerous avalanches today.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
I am pleased to announce that we have a new version of our Utah Avalanche Center app available. This is a huge improvement over our older version which I disliked and did not recommend to anyone. This version has an inclinometer for measuring slope angles. We plan to add new features on the next version this summer but this is a great start and again, a huge upgrade from our previous version.
Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: Snow started accumulating last night and the Fairview/Electric Lake zone is up to about 7 inches. Ephraim and south has only picked up about 2 inches so far. This is not uncommon with a southwest flow where the Fairview zone does much better. Temperatures have been in the upper 20s for the last 24 hours. The new snow is high density and it may feel a bit inverted on top of colder lower density snow from earlier this week. Rain/snow levels were somewhere around 7000 feet or a bit higher but just recently dropped down to the valley. Wind has generally been light from the southwest.
Mountain Weather: The storm will continue today in a southwest flow. We should see 3 to 6 inches of snow today. Temperatures will remain in the mid 20s. Wind from the southwest will be generally light but looks like it'll get strong late this afternoon or this evening. Colder air moves in tonight and the flow shifts northwest. We should see periods of snow through Friday with an additional 3 to 6 inches.
Ad
Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
We will want to pay attention to how the new snow is behaving today. It is high density and could be inverted on top of colder lower density snow from earlier this week. This can produce an unstable situation. It should be fairly easy to figure out if the new snow is sensitive:
  • Look for any fresh avalanches that have fracture lines about 6 to 10 inches deep.
  • Use small steep test slopes (not large enough to have serious consequences!) to cut across and see if the new snow cracks or moves.
  • Dig quick hand pits and pull on the new snow to see how easy it shears.
It looks like we're going to see a period of stronger wind later this afternoon and this is always a big contributor to unstable conditions. Watch for drifting and avoid the fresh drifts and pillows on steep slopes.
Avalanche Problem #2
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Older layers of weak sugary faceted snow remain deeper in our snowpack. These remain a concern as we add more weight to the snowpack. My best guess is that this storm isn't going to add enough weight to produce a widespread avalanche cycle that breaks into older weak snow. I'm actually not expecting any natural avalanches to break into the old weak layers. My guess is that if a deeper avalanche releases, it will be human triggered most likely by a snowmobiler on a steep slope that faces north, northeast or east.
Additional Information
General Announcements
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.
< Previous forecast