Avalanche forecast

Ogden

Issued Dec 12, 2024valid to Dec 13, 2024Utah Avalanche Center

Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The danger will rise to MODERATE today for triggering fresh soft slabs of wind drifted snow. These pockety drifts may be up to a foot deep and may be triggered at a distance, particularly in heavily wind loaded terrain. These drifts will be most pronounced in the upper elevation bands on northwest to east facing slopes and primarily just to the lee of ridgelines. Out of the wind zone, loose dry sluffs may be triggered in very steep northerly terrain.

Avalanche problems

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Possible
Size
2
Triggering a fresh soft slab of wind drifted snow will be your primary concern today. Although there is not much snow available for transport, there is some, and this soft snow will easily be whipped into sensitive soft slabs that may be sensitive to the weight of a backcountry traveler. I'd expect shallow pockets of wind slab to be found primarily along the upper elevation northwest to north to east facing terrain and most likely limited to the lee of ridgelines. These new soft drifts will be landing on a variety of weak snow surfaces and may be particularly sensitive. With enough wind loading, you might also trigger these at a distance. Remember that cracking and collapsing are sure giveaways to unstable snow.
Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Unlikely
Size
2
Nearly all the white snow you see in the mountains is either hard, slick melt freeze crusts, or a horror show of weak faceted sugary snow. This sugary snow will continue to lose strength and even start to produce point release sluffs in the steepest, coldest, shady terrain. The current structure does not bode well when we see significant storms this winter.

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Recent Activity

No new avalanche activity was reported from the Ogden area mountains.

Check out all recent observations HERE.

Snow and Weather

We have a weak storm on tap for tonight into tomorrow that should bring perhaps a trace to an inch of snow. Ahead of the "storm", today we'll see increasing clouds, temperatures rising into the mid to upper 30s and southwest winds increasing to 25-30mph along the ridgelines. Temperatures will plummet to the teens tomorrow with another, more potent storm on tap for late weekend.

Travel is difficult ("character building") with the thin snowpack (1-2 feet of coverage) and hitting obstacles is your primary concern. That said, soft turns can be found in wind and sun sheltered terrain. Brian Smith was up along the North Ogden divide and his report can be found HERE>

General Announcements

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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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