BOTTOM LINE

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

Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger is MODERATE for recent deposits of wind drifted snow. These are mainly above about 9000 feet with drifts more pronounced on southerly and westerly facing slopes. Watch for crossloaded terrain features on all aspects.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

The recent storm produced around 6 to 10 inches of snow in the Cottonwoods. At 9000 feet there is an average of 15 to 20 inches total with less at lower elevations. North and northeast winds picked up on Wednesday to redistribute the snow into various depths. Wind speeds tapered off and are now in the 5 to 10 mph range gusting 10 to 20 along the ridges.

RECENT ACTIVITY

No avalanche activity has been observed or reported from the last storm. Click on "Current Conditions" in the menu above for a list of recent snowpits, observations and photos.

THREAT #1

WHERE

PROBABILITY

SIZE

TREND

Over the next 24 hours.

Wind slabs that formed over the last 24 hours are really the only cause for concern right now. I found minor cracking in the drifts that I provoked during my field day on Wednesday. I didn't come across any that got me too excited but there are probably a few spots where you could get a pockety slab to crack out. Keep in mind that a nasty windy day prevented me from seeing a whole lot of terrain. An easterly component to the wind direction loaded things somewhat differently to what we usually see, so, continue to pay attention as you travel today. Even though slopes facing north and east were getting stripped, I noticed small terrain features on these aspects were getting crossloaded. These wind slabs should stabilize fairly quickly if they haven't already. Just remember that if you're getting out for some early season skiing or snowboarding, you'll probably be drawn to the higher terrain where there's the most snow and the most chance of finding a wind slab.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

Today we'll see partly cloudy skies with the chance of a few snow flurries. Not much accumulation is expected. Temperatures will max out in the mid 20s and winds should remain fairly light for the most part from the north. A small brush-by will move through Friday with clouds and the chance for some light snow mainly in the more northern portion of the state. The flow goes more zonal through the weekend then a ridge builds in bringing mild weather and warmer temperatures for most of next week.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

With the upcoming weather outlook we probably won't update this advisory for a number of days unless snow conditions change drastically for the worse.

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We appreciate avalanche and snow observations. If there’s something we should know about give us a call at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@utahavalanchecenter.org . (Fax 801-524-6301).

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.

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.