Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Logan Area Mountains Issued by Toby Weed for Saturday - April 2, 2016 - 7:09am
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MODERATE (level 2): Expect another sunny day and heightened wet avalanche conditions will again develop due to solar and seasonal heating in the backcountry. Natural and triggered wet avalanches are possible during the heat of the day and most likely in sunny terrain. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully, and stay off and out from under steep slopes with sun-warmed and/or saturated fresh snow.




current conditions

The Tony Grove Snotel at 8400' reports 32 degrees and there's 95 inches of total snow containing 106% of average water for the date. I'm reading 27 degrees at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station, with a light north wind currently.


Natural wet activity like this will again be possible today, especially in sunny terrain. (4-1-16)
recent activity
  • Natural wet avalanches were fairly common across the zone during the heat of the day yesterday
  • Significant natural wet activity occurred over the last few days in lower Providence Canyon
  • An observer reports recent natural wind slab activity involving harder drifted new snow on north facing slopes in Cherry Creek Canyon within the Mt Naomi Wilderness.
  • Riders triggered several shallow and manageable soft slab avalanches and observed some natural wet activity on steep slopes in the Tony Grove Area Wednesday.

A natural wet avalanche in lower Providence Canyon started as a point release but became a fairly broad avalanche by the time it reached the canyon floor. (4-1-16)

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

Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Moist sluffs entraining significant piles of melt-saturated fresh snow from this week are possible and could become likely again today in sunny terrain, when slopes with 1 to 2 feet of moist new snow are warmed by direct solar heating.
Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Although most of the instability has probably settled out by now, you still might trigger soft slabs in the storm snow from this week in some steep upper elevation (extreme) terrain. Wet (or heat-induced moist) soft slabs are possible on some steep sheltered (and sunny) slopes with significant accumulations from this week.

weather

A high pressure system will dominate the weather over the region for the weekend. Expect sunny skies in the mountains today, with moderate south to west winds and 9000' high temperatures expected to reach around 40 degrees. It'll be mostly clear tonight with a low around 32 degrees and westerly winds around 15 mph along the ridges. It'll be mostly sunny tomorrow with a high near 46 degrees and moderate winds from the west southwest. A fast moving disturbance will brush Northern Utah Monday into Monday night.

general announcements

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 avalanche 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.