The overall avalanche danger is LOW. If you're traveling along the ridgelines, look for isolated shallow soft slabs of wind drifted snow. Wet loose avalanches should also remain on your radar in damp or punchy, unsupportable areas that received another poor refreeze. Remember that risk is inherent in mountain travel.
Our conditionally unstable snowpack structure has gone mostly dormant. In general, we have a poor structure of strong snow over weak snow, but time has allowed this structure to become (temporarily) stable. I toured in the upper American Fork area Sunday and found stable snow. You can find the full observation HERE>
We didn't hear of any avalanche activity from the ski areas or the backcountry yesterday.
As of 5am, skies are overcast with light flurries depicted on the radar. Mountain temps are in the upper 30s. Winds remain from the southwest, blowing 15-20mph. The most exposed anemometers have wind speeds of 25-30mph with gusts to 40. The snowpack absorbed quite a bit of heat yesterday and even the northerly aspects will have a zipper crust this morning perhaps as high as 9000'. It's becoming a snowpack that only a mother could love.
A very weak ripple in the southerly flow will bring clouds and some slight precipitation today. Winds should diminish over the course of the day. Temps will be in the upper 30s to mid-40s. All eyes are on Saturday's cold front that should bring a brief return to winter and put the dagger in the heart of the urban smog.
Even though it hasn't snowed in awhile, the overall snow-water-equivalent map for northern Utah is pretty darn good. The early December storm that brought 2.5-5.5" of snow-water-equivalent really saved the day.
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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.
