Sign Up for the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) on December 7th!
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 Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills On-Snow Courses Resources and Tutorials
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 Salt Lake Area Mountains

Dave Kelly
Issued by Dave Kelly on
Tuesday morning, November 7, 2023
Welcome to the start of the 2023-2024 winter season.
Thanks for checking the forecast, and stay tuned. We’ll issue updates as conditions warrant, with regular forecasts and danger ratings starting in December.
Enough snow to ski or ride means there’s enough snow to slide. Right now, the high elevation shady aspects are holding snow and are the places where you could run into an avalanche problem.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
The 16th Annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) and Professional Snow and Avalanche Workshop (PROSAW) was held this past weekend. Thanks to all the attendees and presenters that took time to make this a successful event.
Weather and Snow
We've had a quiet start to this season with 21.5"/3.12" of October snow/water as recorded at the Collins Study Plot at 9600' in Upper Little Cottonwood Canyon. Our first storm of November started early this morning with 2" of snow on the ground at the upper elevations and a rain/snow line hovering around 7,000'. We can expect to see 4-8" of snow out of this storm with locally higher amounts if the lake effect comes into play. Look for clearing later this week, which will melt snow on the solar aspects. Clear skies and cold temperatures will keep the facet factory operating on shadier slopes.
Check out this blog post that Utah Avalanche Center Director Mark Staples put together looking at what an El Niño season could look like for Utah.
Early morning snowfall in Upper Little Cottonwood Canyon barely covers the summer surface on a west facing slope at 9100'.
Recent Avalanches
We have had a few snow and avalanche observations trickle in as people have been getting out and about. Find them HERE.
Ad
Additional Information
It’s never too early to start thinking about avalanches. Here are a few things to consider doing:
  • Learn online. We have over 5 hours of free online learning at the Know Before You Go website
  • Check out the upcoming in-person Know Before You Go events HERE
  • Sign up for an on-snow class
  • Check out the UAC's education progression HERE
  • Get your avalanche rescue gear ready for winter. Put fresh batteries in your transceiver and update the firmware. Inspect your shovel and probe. Get your airbag backpack ready by possibly doing a test deployment and updating the firmware if it is an electric version or getting your canister refilled if it's not electronic.
< Previous forecast
Next forecast >