Avalanche forecast

Salt Lake

Issued Apr 17, 2026valid to Apr 18, 2026Utah Avalanche Center

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Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

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Out of date — this forecast expired 4 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Today you'll find areas of MODERATE avalanche danger in the higher elevation bands.

I would expect some naturalling of the very low density snow to occur in the steepest terrain...and I would also expect you could trigger very soft wind slab pockets (in generally east facing terrain) and easy-to-trigger loose dry sluffs on all aspects. While small, these avalanches will be enough to knock you off your feet and run fast and far on the slick underlying crusts.

Avalanche problems

Storm Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Possible
Size
1
In the high elevation bands, you may be able to trigger shallow pockets of wind blown snow and longer running dry loose sluffs in steep terrain today. Some naturalling of the loose dry snow can be expected in the steepest terrain. I'd expect any avalanche to run fast and far on the underlying slick crusts and entrain enough snow to pack a punch.

Otherwise, your main concerns are with standard springtime mountain hazards:

melting creeks and unstable snow bridges

melting lakes

slide for life

failing cornices

glide avalanches

moats

Special Announcement

Sunday will be our last daily morning forecast for the season. We will issue intermittent updates and publish observations through May 1st.

Recent Activity

None.

You can view all recent observations HERE.

Snow and Weather

Light, low density snow continues to fall in the mountains this morning. As of 6AM, the upper Cottonwoods have received 4-8" of about 5% density snow. The Park City, Provo, and Ogden area mountains picked up 2-4" overnight. Ben Williams from the Alta avalanche office noted that the stellars are extra sparkly this morning. I believe it.

Winds are blowing 10-15mph from the west-northwest except along the highest peaks and ridgelines, where they're humming at 25-35mph with gusts to 50. The mercury dropped to 0°F at 11k as foretold but trailheads are in the teens.

Skies will trend partly cloudy by midday and I expect the blustery winds - even up high - to lose steam. It'll be a pleasant February day in the mountains, but with a much higher sun angle that may, just may, start to dampen the new snow on some westerly facing aspects by late afternoon. The best skiing and riding will be on very smooth, low angle slopes. Too steep and you'll find it a bit scratchy and/or possibly in a slide-for-life situation.

For the weekend, we'll see mostly sunny skies and temperatures on a warming trend. Winds should remain on good behaviour. There is some potential for additional snowfall with a mid-week storm, but I won't hold my breath.

It's not all doom and gloom. While the low and mid-elevations never really came in this winter, the upper elevations still hold 85-100" of snow on the ground, if you're willing to work for it.

photos of stellar dendrite snowflakes, Doug Wewer

Additional Info

We have published February 2026: Four Avalanche Fatalities in Five Days: a community review with most of the UAC Salt Lake office. This 38-minute video is worth sitting down and digesting. A huge thanks to UAC Education Manager & Forecaster McKinley Talty for his hard work putting this together behind the scenes.

General Announcements

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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures