Avalanche forecast

Skyline

Issued Jan 6, 2021valid to Jan 7, 2021Utah Avalanche Center

Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

Out of date — this forecast expired 6 years ago.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

Highlights

The avalanche danger remains CONSIDERABLE on steep slopes that face west, north and east in the upper elevations. Human triggered avalanches are likely in this terrain due to weak sugary faceted snow near the ground.

Avalanche problems

Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Likely
Size
3
We have slightly different red flags today compared to Tuesday:

Dense newer snow

Recently formed drifts

Poor underlying snowpack structure

Reports of cracking and collapsing continue which clearly demonstrates our weak snowpack structure. The weak faceted snow near the ground fails and "whoomps" when disturbed by a person. This is exactly what happens when we trigger an avalanche. This is most prevalent in the mid and upper elevation west, north and east aspects.

Snow and Weather

Current Conditions: Wind speeds have dropped off and are now light to moderate from the west. Overnight temperatures are in the mid teens to low 20s. A little more snow trickled in yesterday afternoon bringing us up to 2 to 4 inches of snow since Monday night. Things to note about the storm:

The new snow was quite dense.
Wind blew the new snow around quite a bit.

John Pikus sums things up really well in some observations he submitted. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

Mountain Weather: We'll see clouds roll through later today. Highs will get up near 30˚F and wind will be light to moderate from the west southwest with a slight increase in speed this afternoon. Thursday looks like a nice day with lots of sun. The next small storm is scheduled for Friday night into Saturday with a few inches of new snow possible.