Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Logan Area Mountains Issued by Toby Weed for Wednesday - March 18, 2015 - 6:57am
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CONSIDERABLE (level 3): Heightened wet avalanche conditions exist on many slopes with soft saturated snow in the backcountry. Cooler temperatures should help, but after yet another night without a good refreeze, warm daytime temperatures could cause dangerous conditions in some areas, with natural wet avalanches possible.

  • Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully.
  • Stay off of and out from under steep slopes with saturated snow during the heat of midday.
  • Avoid travel in shallow or rocky mid and upper elevation areas, and especially under cliffs or cornices.

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special announcement

Special thanks to Buttar's of Tremonton and ArcticCat for hooking us up with the light and powerful M8000,
current conditions

Cooler temperatures should help matters today, but heightened wet avalanche conditions still exist in the backcountry. The snow in many areas is lacking a good overnight refreeze again, and high angle sun, possible green-housing, and 8500' temperatures in the mid forties, will once again cause dangerous conditions on some steep slopes by mid-afternoon. The Tony Grove Snotel reports 59 inches of total snow containing 84% of average water for the date. Temperatures did not drop below freezing last night again, and it's ****Special thanks to Buttar's of Tremonton and ArcticCat for hooking us up with the light and powerful M8000,37 degrees at 8400'. It's a bit cooler lower down in the Middle Sinks Area, with 29 degrees posted at the UDOT Hwy 89 Logan Summit, and light easterly winds overnight.

Natural wet avalanches look like hot wax running off the mountain-sides. Mt. Magog from the east, 3-17-2015
recent activity

Widespread natural loose wet avalanches occurred across the Logan Zone during the heat of the day the past three days (3-15,16,17-2015), observed on west, north, and east facing slopes at mid and upper elevations.

***Watch "Natural Wet Avalanches up in Tony Grove," an observation video from yesterday,(3-17-2015),.......... HERE

Recent natural wet avalanches on the north side of Tony Grove Lake. (3-17-2015)
Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 12 hours
description

Natural wet loose avalanches are possible again in some steep terrain today, especially during the afternoon heat. Avoid shallow or rocky areas with melt softened saturated snow, and avoid travel under cliffs and ridge-top cornices, which are failing in the midday warmth and triggering wet avalanches below.
weather

A little cooler, but it'll be partly cloudy and mild in the mountains again, with a high temperature at 8500' around 45 degrees and moderate west-northwest winds. It'll be mostly clear tonight, (which will help refreeze the surface snow), with an expected low temperature around 28 degrees and moderate northwest winds. It'll be clear tomorrow, with high temperatures in the mid forties again and fairly light northwest wind. There's a slight chance for some rain or snow showers on Saturday, but don't expect much accumulation.

***Check out our one-stop weather page........HERE

general announcements

***Advisories by email for the Logan Zone.  Go here for details.

*** Utah Avalanche Center mobile app 

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Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI:  Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC.  Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

***Please submit snow and avalanche observations from your ventures in the backcountry HERE. You can call us at 801-524-5304 or email HERE, or include #utavy in your Instagram or Tweet us @UAClogan. To report avalanche activity in the Logan Area or to contact the local avalanche forecaster call me, Toby, at 435-757-7578. 

I'll regularly update this advisory on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mornings by about 7:30.   This advisory is produced by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. It describes only general avalanche conditions and local variations always exist.