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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Greg Gagne
Issued by Greg Gagne on
Friday morning, December 11, 2020
The overall avalanche danger is LOW on all aspects and elevations. Although avalanches are unlikely, with an increase in westerly winds overnight you may find pockets of fresh wind drifts at the mid and upper elevations on aspects facing north through southeast.
Expect a rising avalanche danger beginning this weekend as storms are forecasted to move into the region.
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Special Announcements
This week is the 2nd Annual Avalanche Awareness Week. We will be hosting avalanche awareness and education events across the state of Utah. Get a full schedule of events here.
The holiday season is right around the corner!! Looking for that special something for your partner? or yourself?
Well, we've got an easy shopping solution for you...Buy your gifts at our Pray for Snow online auction.
Weather and Snow
Currently: Skies are cloudy with light snow flurries. Temperatures are in the teens. Winds have picked up overnight and are veering from the southwest through the northwest. Along mid-elevation ridges, winds are averaging in the teens with gusts in the 20's mph. At the upper-most elevations, winds are averaging in the 20's, with gusts in the 30's and low 40's mph.
Today: Cloudy skies today with occasional snow flurries. We may get an inch or two. Temperatures will remain stuck in the teens, and the winds won't change much, averaging in the teens with gusts in the 20's mph at mid-elevations, and at 11,000' averaging in the 20's with gusts in the 30's and low 40's mph.
This Weekend: Snowfall should increase overnight and into Saturday morning, with hopefully 6-8" of fresh snow by Saturday afternoon. Another decent chance of accumulating snow early this coming week. Although there are no blockbusters in sight, the overall pattern for the next 7-10 days looks more favorable for storms.
Recent Avalanches
No new avalanches were reported from the backcountry.
Please keep the excellent observations coming - they help us map the locations of the weak faceted snow. This will be critical ahead of the next winter storms.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
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Description
The overall avalanche danger is Low (both natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely) but you may find pockets of fresh wind drifts on north through southeast aspects at the mid and upper elevations from the uptick in westerly winds overnight.
With forecasted snowfall and wind beginning this weekend and into this coming week, expect a rising avalanche danger as any new storm or wind-driven snow falls on our weak/faceted existing snowpack. Trent has more detailed thoughts on this below under Additional Info.
If you plan to head into the backcountry this weekend, keep these things in mind:
  • Carry an avalanche transceiver, probe, shovel, and have a partner.
  • We have weak (faceted) snow on many aspects and elevations. This weak snow will produce avalanches on slopes greater than 30° once they are loaded with new snow.
  • Persistent weak layer avalanches are responsible for nearly 70% of all avalanche fatalities.
  • Stick to low angle terrain (slopes less than 30° in steepness), and avoid being on, under, or adjacent to steep slopes.
Additional Information
On Tuesday, Trent spent a field day mapping faceted snow (weak layers) on many different aspects and elevations. Basically, to sum it all up; WE HAVE WEAK FACETED SNOW on all aspects at the mid and upper elevations. Now, due south-facing slopes are lacking faceted snow for the most part. However, if you turn just slightly east or west, the snowpack becomes faceted. If you find a shade line or a shaded pocket on a south-facing slope, it's faceted and weak.
This means; once we bury the current snow surface, it will be tough to tell what southerly terrain had bare dirt vs. slopes with a patchy snowpack. Usually, southerly facing terrain is not an issue with this type of weak layer. However, this setup is tricky because the only aspect that doesn't have a weak layer is very narrow, and the slightest mistake in aspect would likely lead to an avalanche.
My strategy will be riding slopes less than 30° in steepness once we get a storm on top of this weak snow... There is no doubt we will have an avalanche cycle once we load this weak faceted snow with stronger heavy snow on top.
General Announcements
Please visit this website with information about Responsible Winter Recreation by the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ
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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