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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Drew Hardesty
Issued by Drew Hardesty for
Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Areas of CONSIDERABLE danger exist in localized terrain. The most pronounced danger for human triggered slides 1-3' deep will be on steep northwest to northeast facing slopes with the most recent snow and wind drifting.

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Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow

Skies are partly cloudy with temps in the single digits. Winds are generally less than 10mph from the southwest. Wind chill temperatures are -12°F along the ridgelines. Snow depths sit at 30-45" in the Provo mountains after Monday's storm of 12" or so. Riding conditions have greatly improved.

Recent Avalanches

Thanks for the report. A touring party in the Provo mountains experienced collapsing yesterday and remotely triggered a foot deep and 15' wide avalanche into faceted snow on a northeast facing slope at 9500'.

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

Collapsing, cracking, and avalanches (all noted yesterday) are sure signs of instability and avalanche conditions. Old weak snow has been stressed by additonal snow and wind over the past week, putting it on edge and waiting for a trigger. These suspect avalanche conditions are most pronounced on steep northwest to northeast facing slopes, but not limited to them. Remember that these slides may be triggered from a distance and even from below.

Avalanche Problem #3
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Lingering wind slabs may be found in the high alpine terrain, lee of terrain features, and potentially in the open exposed bowls and slopes. These should respond well to ski cuts and cornice drops and be 12-18" deep in localized terrain.

Additional Information

We'll see increasing clouds with the first of many generally weak weather systems on tap for northern Utah. For today, winds will be from the south and southwest at 10-15mph. Temps will generally remain in the freezer for awhile...today they'll be in the single digits up high and the low teens at the mid-elevations. Saturday night into Sunday holds the best promise for additional snowfall.

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This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

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