Ogden Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Drew Hardesty

BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

The danger is CONSIDERABLE today on any steep wind drifted slope. Human triggered avalanches are probable on a variety of aspects and elevation and dependent upon the irregular loading patterns from the punishing overnight winds. Caution must be advised on any slope approaching 35 degrees and steeper.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

Two to four inches of 6-8% yesterday morning sits beneath 4-8” of 8-10% overnight. Temps are in the low to mid 20’s. But it’s the wind that makes things as it will. They continue to roar. Ridgeline anemometers are spinning 40-50mph with gusts to 70, with severe wind damage and drifting reported at the lower elevations.

RECENT ACTIVITY

Some reports filtered in of cracking in the 2-4” of new windblown snow yesterday.

THREAT #1
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

The stronger southerly winds will deposit soft and hard drifts in a variety of encatchment zones. Not only will the sensitive and stubborn drifts be in the high lee of the ridgelines, but they’ll be crossloaded in gullies and breakovers in unusual areas. The wind drifts can be smooth, rounded and pillowy, or they may have a scalloped appearance. It may be that your first few turns will be on an eroded boilerplate only to trigger the wind slab half-way down the slope. And it may be thick and hollow sounding – and supportable – allowing you to get on the lens before cracking out behind you. Expect the unexpected today.

Heavier snow on lighter snow is a textbook yellow flag, particularly with all the ingredients now with a slab, weak layer and bed surface.

THREAT #2
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

The additional weight of snow and wind and a human trigger may be enough to trigger an older deeper slab sitting on very weak faceted snow and depth hoar. These repeater slopes that have avalanched once or twice this season remain weak and tenuous, waiting for additional provocation. They’re more likely to be triggered in steep, thin rocky terrain with more notorious conditions along the Park City ridgeline and Mill Creek.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

Snow and wind will persist for the next couple of hours before losing steam. We’ll see gradual thinning of the cloud cover and winds veering westerly and dropping to 20mph. Temps will be in the upper teens and low 20s. Moisture fills back in tonight with what looks to be another moist, albeit splitty wave to affect the area. A very strong southerly flow ushers in the following wave Wednesday night into Thursday. The main core of the storm ejects inland Thursday brining additional snow through early Sunday.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale at discounted prices.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flight plan.

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30:888-999-4019 option 8.

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

Free UAC iPhone app from Canyon Sports.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

We appreciate all your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email to uac@utahavalanchecenter.org

Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

I will update this forecast on Tuesday morning. Thanks for calling.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done.  This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.