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

There are pockets with a CONSIDERABLE danger in terrain above 10,000 feet on northwest through northeast facing slopes which means dangerous avalanche conditions are present and human triggered avalanches are likely. The danger is significantly lower in areas that don’t have old snow from October and don’t have recent deposits of wind drifted snow.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

We have partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low to mid 20s. Winds shifted to a southerly direction and are in the moderate range. I’d guess there would be a few annoying gusts along the higher ridges but nothing too bad. Southerly slopes did not get heated by the sun on Saturday so there is snow available for transport.


RECENT ACTIVITY

No activity has been reported from the Ogden area mountains.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Most slopes settled nicely during last week and didn’t get angry with the half inch of water weight we added on top of it but there are a few slopes on the brink. My current perspective is that the most suspect slopes are nearing 10,000 feet with northwest through northeast aspects but you better do your homework by digging and looking for weak snow near the ground once you’re nearing 9000 feet on any slope with a northerly tilt to it. I think that the chances for triggering something are low to moderate but consequences could be pretty bad which is why I’m going with a “pockety” CONSIDERABLE rating for the aforementioned slopes. The other factor that makes me keep CONSIDERABLE in the rating is the chance for the southerly winds to transport snow onto those northerly facing slopes today.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Any fresh wind drifts themselves probably won’t pose much threat on their own but may crack under foot. Keep an eye out for new pillows of snow and any cracking. If you’re finding this, it should be obvious that wind is drifting snow and may be loading those northerly slopes that have old weak snow near the ground. This probably will only be a factor along the highest ridges.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We’ll see somewhat unsettled weather over the next 24 hours with some snow flurries likely but not much accumulation expected. Temperatures will warm quite a bit with this “warm air advection” and get up to around 30 or a bit higher at 8000 feet. Southerly winds will be doing their thing along the higher ridges with moderate speeds and a few stronger gusts. It looks like they’ll increase a bit more late today and into tonight. We’ll be in a southerly flow until the next small storm which is scheduled for Thursday or early Friday morning.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams 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.

Salt Lake – Alta Central (801-742-2033)

Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)

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

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

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

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

You have the opportunity to participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email by clicking HERE

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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.

We 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.