Logan

In the Central and Northern Bear River Range, in sheltered terrain and at lower and mid elevations, the snow is stable, the danger LOW, and avalanches are unlikely. However, heightened avalanche conditions and MODERATE danger may exist at upper elevations in the Wellsville Range, the Southern Bear River Range, and the Logan Peak Area, where people might trigger shallow slab avalanches of wind drifted snow.

• Use normal caution.
• Also, evaluate snow and terrain carefully in drifted upper elevation terrain.

Thanks to the generous support of our local resorts and Ski Utah, discount lift tickets are now available. Support the UAC while you ski at the resorts this season. Tickets are available HERE

Due to the benign January weather it's been a couple weeks since any significant avalanche activity occurred in the Logan Zone.

Check HERE for all the latest observations and avalanche activity.

The 8400' Tony Grove Snotel reports 18°F, and there is just under 6 feet (71 inches) of total snow at the site containing 128% of normal SWE for the date. Winds out of the northwest are blowing around 10 mph this morning at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station. Expect sunny skies and fair weather in the mountains today, continuing through weekend and beyond. High temperatures around 27°F are expected at 8500' today, dropping with clearing skies tonight to around 14°F. Moderate northeast winds are expected today, veering more from the east tonight.

A few inches of new snow didn't change avalanche conditions much, but it capped and preserved weak surface snow created in many areas by high pressure conditions in the last couple weeks. Thursday night, winds drifted the few inches of fresh snow around at upper elevations, but a thin rime-crust formed on the snow surface (at least in the Central and Northern Bear River Range) and this appears to be gluing the shallow drifts in place.

Observers report a widespread thin rime-crust on the new snow surface in the Central and Northern Bear River Range.

I started up into East Banks (across from Red Banks) in Logan Canyon Thursday to look at the snow. Right away I encountered horrible snow conditions with the thick crust from the 1-6 rainstorm no longer supportable, but now a widespread brittle breakable crust capping a thick layer of very weak dry faceted snow. Needless to say, I didn't go very far.

• Always follow safe backcountry travel protocols. Go one person at a time in avalanche terrain, (anytime while traveling on or under backcountry slopes steeper than 30°) while the rest of your party watches from a safe area.
• Check your avalanche rescue equipment, change your batteries, and practice often with your backcountry partners. Check slope angles, and to avoid avalanches stay off of and out from under slopes steeper than 30° and adjacent slopes. Video Here

Who's up for some free avalanche training? Get a refresher, become better prepared for an upcoming avalanche class, or just boost your skills. Go to https://learn.kbyg.org/ and scroll down to Step 2 for a series of interactive online avalanche courses produced by the UAC.

• Check out all the upcoming education classes and clinics HERE.
• Please submit your observations from the backcountry HERE.

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