Avalanche forecast

Provo

Issued Dec 12, 2025valid to Dec 13, 2025Utah Avalanche Center

Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

A pockety MODERATE avalanche danger exists on some steep west to north to easterly facing slopes in the mid and upper elevations for triggering a 12-18" thick slab that fails on our old early season facets. Exercise caution in this terrain. The danger for wet avalanches will rise to MODERATE on many slopes today. Wet sluffs and possibly wet slabs will be likely in the coming days.

Avalanche problems

Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Unlikely
Size
2
A persistent weak layer (PWL) of early season facets makes up the base of the snowpack on west-north-easterly facing slopes at the mid and upper elevations.In these areas, it is still possible to trigger an avalanche up to about 18 inches deep and over 100 feet wide. Cracking and collapsing are become less common and snow tests hint at slow stabilization, yet persistent weak layers come by their name honestly. It is true that in some areas, the snowpack has warmed and become isothermal and this may end up being a good thing...but facets are facets and it's just part of their character: they are just hard to trust. Exercise caution if you're traveling through steep terrain with this poor structure.
Loose Wet
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Possible
Size
2
Wet sluffs and wet slab avalanches will start to become a problem today through early next week. I've always felt uncomfortable forecasting wet avalanches and feel even less comfortable forecasting wet avalanches in mid-December. My recommendation - to keep it simple - is to pull the calendar off the wall and just observe what you're seeing and note how it feels under your feet. If you're seeing wet rollerballs and loose point releases and/or the snow starts to feel punchy and unconsolidated, head for a different aspect or low angle terrain. Remember that wet loose debris can pile up deeply in terrain traps.

Snow and Weather

Skies are clear, winds are light from the west, and temps are in the mid to upper 30s. Today will be just like yesterday, only a touch warmer. That trend will continue through the weekend with ridgetop temps rising into the mid-40s! For the longer range, it looks as if the ridge of high pressure gets squashed down mid-next week, allowing for a somewhat more active weather pattern from the west. I continue to eye the Solstice for a glimmer of hope.

This morning, you'll be skiing and riding coral and breakable crust until things soften with daytime heating. The highest elevations do host a sliver of dry -albeit wind damaged - snow. And that is where there IS snow; coverage sits at 6-16 inches and many solar aspects and low elevation trailheads are bone dry. But beautiful. Our most recent staff outing was on the 9th and can be found HERE.

Recent Activity

There were no new avalanches reported from the backcountry or the ski area yesterday. The Provo mountains did, however, experience a widespread avalanche cycle over the weekend, just in lockstep with the storm. UDOT Provo canyon avalanche workers spotted numerous large natural avalanches from the avalanche cycle (perhaps 1-2 feet deep but up to 1500 feet wide) in the upper reaches of the Cascade ridgeline and on Timpanogos.

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