Avalanche forecast

Logan

Issued Mar 11, 2026valid to Mar 12, 2026Utah Avalanche Center

Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on drifted upper and mid-elevation slopes steeper than 30 degrees, and avalanches of wind-drifted snow are possible. Although becoming unlikely, it is possible in outlying terrain that a person could trigger a destructive hard slab avalanche failing on a persistent weak layer buried two to four feet deep.

Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully.

Avalanche problems

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Possible
Size
2
Strong winds in the past few days formed drifts in starting zones near ridgelines and around terrain features such as gullies, rocks, rollovers, and sub-ridges. People could trigger hard slabs of recently wind-drifted snow up to around a 1 foot deep.

Hard wind slabs may allow you to get well out onto them before suddenly releasing.

Wind slabs are often recognizable as rounded pillows of snow that can feel hollow or drum-like underfoot.

Collapsing or shooting cracks are clear signs of instability—but their absence does not mean the slope is safe.

Avalanches of wind-drifted snow could step down into the buried January persistent weak layer, producing larger and more dangerous avalanches, several feet deep.
Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Unlikely
Size
4
A persistent weak layer of faceted snow from January is now buried about 2–4 ft deep on mid- and upper-elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass. While avalanches breaking into this layer are unlikely, any that do occur will be large, destructive, and dangerous.

Avalanches failing on buried facets can propagate widely and may be triggered remotely—from the side or below.

Slopes with a shallower overall snowpack are most suspect. Avoid outlying rocky or wind-swept slopes at upper elevations, where snow is generally shallow.

Smaller avalanches overrunning a slope with poor snow structure could step down to the layer and create a much larger avalanche.

Red flags are often absent when these avalanches occur.

We found good stability in areas where the strengthening sugary, persistent weak layer from January is buried deeply by recent snow. video below

Recent Activity

Observers found evidence of significant natural avalanche activity from last week in Bloomington Canyon (photo below). Natural rollerball swarms and loose wet avalanches were observed on many slopes earlier in the week. Find observations in the Logan zone and from across the state HERE.

Snow and Weather

Your best bet for soft snow riding will be in high, sheltered northerly facing terrain, with cooler recent temperatures in the Northern Bear River Range, near and north of the state line. You might find nice, supportable spring-like "corn snow" on lower-angle sunny slopes, where saturated surface snow has now solidly refrozen and will soften during the day. Heightened avalanche conditions exist in all exposed upper elevation terrain due to the incessant strong winds from the west. Hard wind slabs that people could trigger will also likely be found in mid-elevation lee terrain facing north through southeast.

Much cooler temperatures and clouds kept the threat of wet avalanches low yesterday. Still, we observed some natural wet avalanches in the mountains from Sunday's and Monday's heat. Observers endured strong winds and found a wide variety of snow surface conditions in the Bear Lake Area backcountry on Monday. Here is the report from Bloomington Canyon.

The UAC Card Canyon weather station at 8700 feet reports 10°F and 60 inches of total snow. The Tony Grove Snotel, at 8400 feet, reports 16°F with 72 inches of total snow. At 9700 feet on Logan Peak, winds are blowing from the northwest 25 to 30 mph, with overnight gusts above 50 mph. Strong winds continue to blow from the west-northwest on Paris Peak, at 9500 feet, blowing 20 to 30 mph, with a gust of 54 mph last night. It's 7°F, and the wind chill value is -14°F.

Expect sunny skies today, with temperatures at 8500 feet climbing to around 31°F, and strong, increasing, and incessant winds blowing from the west-southwest. Once again, winds will increase during the day at all elevations, and gusts around 40 mph are likely in exposed terrain. Clouds will increase tonight, temperatures will drop to around 24°F, and winds will continue to blow from the west. Tomorrow, expect partly sunny skies with increasing temperatures and winds from the west. High temperatures at 8500' will soar to around 41°F, and continuing strong and gusty winds will blow from the west, even increasing another notch.

Additional Info

Travel with a partner, and cross or ride slopes steeper than 30 degrees one at a time while the rest of your group watches from a safe spot.
Ensure that everyone in the group has avalanche rescue equipment (a transceiver, probe, and shovel) and knows how to use it.

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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.

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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.

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