Forecast: Ogden Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Tuesday morning, March 18, 2025

The danger will be on the rise today.

The danger will rise to CONSIDERABLE on all slopes of the mid and upper elevations with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. These drifts will be most pronounced on north to east to south facing slopes. Remember that new snow avalanches such as storm slabs and loose snow sluffs may run naturally during periods of peak instability.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Weather and Snow

The storm is upon us as foretold with most areas already seeing 4-6" with upwards of 0.5" of snow water equivalent. Temps are in the mid-teens up high, the upper 20s down low. Winds are out of the west-northwest and blowing 15-20mph.

Today: It should snow for much of the day and into the early evening. I imagine we'll see 8-12" or more by dinner time. Temperatures will drop toward the low teens. The spoiler: I'm seeing moderate to occasionally strong west to northwest winds along the ridgelines today. I hope I'm wrong, but it might be worth planning your outing today for wind sheltered terrain. Let me know how it goes.

The Outlook: some clearing for Wednesday with some unsettled weather for Thursday and perhaps Saturday.

Recent Avalanches

Ski area avalanche teams noted some new natural cornice-induced wind slabs along the Ogden skyline, but also noted that the wind slabs were less reactive than Sunday. Check all recent observations HERE.

It's not in our forecast zone, per se, but many Wasatch skiers and riders head to the Ruby Range just south of Elko, Nevada. Often the prize they're seeking is the Terminal Cancer couloir in Lamoille Canyon. Some local skiers had a very close call on Sunday and sent us an excellent write-up that offers some good takeaways. Recommended reading.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

IF the winds verify, we'll see very touchy, very sensitive soft slabs of wind drifted snow primarily on north to east to south facing terrain of the upper elevations...and scattered across the compass at the mid-elevations. Most of the wind slabs from the recent days and days of strong southwest winds have probably stabilized....but not all, particularly at the higher elevations. These older wind slabs are hard and stubborn and hold their cards close (ie-no cracking or collapsing), but the newest drifts will not be as coy - test slopes and ski cuts should provide the info you need. Please keep cornices on your radar - they loom large these days. Don't wander out on top of them in the whiteout.

Trend: Increasing danger

Uncertainty Level: Moderate

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

The new snow should bond fairly well to the old warm and worn snow surfaces, but with heavy snowfall, failure planes may occur within the storm snow. Natural storm slab and loose snow avalanches occur during peak snowfall instability and springtime can offer just that.

Uncertainty Level: Low

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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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