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Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees on
Thursday morning, November 21, 2013

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on many steep, upper elevation slopes. The focus is on 2 different avalanche problems - the fresh drifts of wind blown snow, which will be most widespread on the westerly facing slopes, and the weak faceted snow near the ground, mostly found on northerly facing slopes. MODERATE means human triggered avalanches are possible today, most likely on upper elevation westerly thorough northerly facing slopes.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow

It was a lackluster "storm" - the cold front that slid through overnight dropped one to 3 inches of snow on average, and cooled the warm overnight temperatures down into the 20s and still dropping in the Ogden area mountains. Currently, the winds are already shifting to the east along the high ridges and starting to increase in the Ogden mountains, though still averaging less than 15 mph. On the plus side, over the past few days, all these dribbles of snow have added up to 4 to 6 inches at the higher elevations, freshening up the snow surface. The snow pack is still quite shallow though, less than 2 feet in most locations, and hitting rocks or stumps is a significant hazard.

Recent Avalanches

No new avalanche activity reported from the backcountry.

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Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Weak snow near the ground persists onupper elevation northerly facing slopes, and human triggered slides are still possible in some terrain. Avalanches could be triggered by a person on those steep, shady slopes at the upper most elevation elevations in the Ogden area mountains, especially on slopes with new or old wind drifts.

Avalanche Problem #2
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The winds are in the processes of shifting to an unusual direction - from the due east – and will increase throughout the day, with the strongest winds expected overnight. They could start to blow and drift snow along the highest ridge lines by as early as noon, first north of I-80, then to the south. So watch for fresh snow drifts in unfamiliar places in the highest terrain - on the more westerly facing slopes - and avoid all steep, wind drifted slopes.

Additional Information

The mountains may be able to squeeze out a little more light snow today, a few inches max, with the focus north of I-80. It's the winds that will become interesting later - shifting to northeast, then due east and starting to increase by noon. 25 to 30 mph averages are expected across the higher terrain by mid day through tonight. Temperatures will remain in the 20s today, then cool into the teens tonight. Then an unwelcome ridge of high pressure builds in, with dry conditions and slightly warmer temperatures for the northern mountains through at least the weekend.

General Announcements

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)

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Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

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