The Tony Grove Snotel at 8400' reports 20 degrees this morning and a half inch of water in 4 inches of new snow overnight. There's 94 inches of total snow containing 106% of average water for the date. I'm reading 13 degrees at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station, with gradually diminishing west winds after a few days with fairly strong and sustained westerly wind flow in the mountains, now averaging around 10 mph, with gusts in the mid thirties early this morning. We found nice powder conditions yesterday at upper elevations on north facing and forested slopes, but the mild weather turned the snow to the consistency of fluffy mashed potatoes on many other slopes.. On some slopes it was rather cake-like, but not sticky. The snow was a bit more crusty on sunny slopes and wind jacked or deposited into deep drifts in exposed terrain. All this, now capped by several inches of new snow at upper elevations.

Not long after the sun warmed the fresh snow on Wednesday, loose wet avalanches began to naturally run in steep terrain. One such sluff, overrunning the slope below Boiler Buttress, triggered this wind slab avalanche involving the fresh snow. (3-23-16)

• We noticed evidence of several small natural wind slab avalanches that occurred during the storm Tuesday night and natural wet sluffs were common in sunny terrain Wednesday.
• A natural wind slab avalanche under the cliffs of Boiler Buttress in Steam Mill Canyon was triggered by overrunning snow from a wet sluff from the cliffs above midday Wednesday. (3-23-16)
• Four riders in a party of five were caught and carried in a sizable wind slab avalanche in White Pine Canyon Friday (3-18-16). One member of the party was fully buried, the other three partly buried (along with their sleds). Luckily one rider was not on the slope that avalanched and was able to initiate a successful companion rescue. Everyone is okay, with only minor injuries to report and the party was able to excavate their sleds and ride them out. Report and Photos........HERE
• On Thursday, (3-17-16), the fourth rider to cross a steep drifted mid elevation northeast facing slope in the White Pine Area triggered a 3-foot deep by around 80' wide avalanche. He was caught and carried a short distance and partially buried, but thankfully not injured. Report is HERE
• A local rider caught a heart stopping video of unintentionally triggering a good sized avalanche in upper Steam Mill Canyon Friday (3-18-16).....Watch it...... HERE
• On Saturday morning (3-19-16) local riders observed a large recent natural avalanche triggered by cornice fall in Castle Rock near Naomi Peak.

​***To view our updated list of backcountry observations and avalanche activity from around Utah, go to our observations page

Snow showers are likely in the mountains, with 3 to 5 inches of accumulation possible by evening. Expect high temperatures at 9000' around 27 degrees and moderate westerly winds. Snow is likely tonight with an additional 1 to 3 inches possible, a low around 18 degrees and moderate north winds veering from the northeast late. It should be partly sunny tomorrow with a high temperature around freezing and light and variable winds.... A stronger storm system will move over the Great Basin early next week and bring unsettled spring weather to the region through mid week.

The National Avalanche Center recently completed an animated tutorial on the North American Avalanche Danger Scale.  HERE

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 avalance forecaster call me, Toby, at 435-757-7578. 

We'll update this advisory throughout the season 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.