Ogden Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Brett Kobernik

BOTTOM LINE

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


Danger Rose Tutorial

For the most part the avalanche danger is LOW this morning. There are pockets where a MODERATE danger exists for the slight chance of triggering something into our persistent weak layers of surface hoar and the remote chance of triggering a wet slab in the mid elevations. Watch the new snow if it should pile up faster and deeper then expected.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

Temperatures cooled off a bit overnight compared to the previous night but a number of locations still did not get below freezing. They're generally in the mid 20s along the upper ridges. Winds increased slightly along the highest peaks gusting into the 20s but didn't bump up much at all in the mid elevations. The snow surface mostly consists of melt freeze crusts but remnants of cold dense powder are still around on due north upper elevation slopes amongst various wind damaged snow. If you're cagey and early, you can probably sneak in a run of supportable corn this morning otherwise maybe a yoga class might be your best bet.

RECENT ACTIVITY

The melt down over the last few days has been the main focus. For the most part, wet activity consisted of mainly medium sized wet loose avalanches on the sunny aspects. The UDOT crew in Provo did see a hint of what many snow safety workers have been speculating about; wet slabs breaking into depth hoar near the ground. Only one of these types of avalanches was observed and reported from the warm up but it does show that we need to pay attention to this over the next few weeks.

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

The biggest concern I'd have today if I were getting into the mountains would be triggering one of these wet slabs. The most likely places would be in steep thinner snowpack areas in the mid elevations where the snowpack is still damp and loose. I don't think this is all that big of a concern but continue to poke into the snow to see how wet things are under the surface. The general cooling trend also points to less chances for this to happen.

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

The next thing we want to keep in mind is our persistent weak layers of surface hoar. With continued settlement during the warm up, the chances for triggering one of these seems less and less but I can still think of a few areas where I might not be all that comfortable. Areas include mid-elevations of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Mill Creek, Lambs and scattered areas around the Park City Ridgeline.

THREAT #3
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Lastly we'll want to pay attention to what goes on with any new snow this afternoon. I doubt that enough will fall to increase the danger much but keep it in mind.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We'll see increasing clouds with a small storm that will push a cold front through our area mid day today. We're only expecting 1 to 3 inches of snow during the day today. Northerly winds look like they'll pick up late in the day or early evening. Cold air will stay in place through Friday and we may see another shot of snow. I'm not real exited about potential snow totals but hoping for enough for a refresher.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

SLC: Please contact Alta Central (801-742-2033) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Ogden: Please contact Snowbasin ski patrol (801620-1000/1017) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Provo: Please contact Sundance ski patrol (801 -223-4150) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com and the local resorts donated lift tickets, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Utah Avalanche Center. To get the last few tickets left for Park City, Beaver Mountain, and Sundance – click here 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 fill out the observation form on our home page.

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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.

Bruce will update this forecast tomorrow 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.