Avalanche forecast

Logan

Utah Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Highlights

An approaching winter storm will elevate avalanche danger in the backcountry. The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Bear River Range from 5:00 this evening through 11:00 Tuesday morning.

Expect rising avalanche danger as snow accumulates and is drifted onto slopes with preexisting weak snow. Today, people could trigger avalanches of loose or recently wind drifted snow on steep upper elevation slopes.

  • The snow is still so shallow that people could be seriously hurt if they are caught and carried over rocks in even a small avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    People could trigger small slab avalanches of wind drifted snow if they venture onto exposed upper elevation slopes. It is always wise to avoid travel on steep slopes with obvious deposits of wind drifted snow.

    • Suspect wind drifts or wind slabs are often smooth and rounded looking, like lenses or flying saucers.
    • Wind slabs often form on the lee side of exposed ridges and in and around terrain features. Watch for and avoid drifts on gully walls, under cliff bands, along sub-ridges, in scoops, saddles, and sinks.
    • Drifted snow is stiffer and more compacted than non-drifted snow, and hard drifts often produce hollow drum-like sounds when you walk on them.
    • Freshly formed wind slabs can be quite sensitive and are often remotely triggered. Older, harder wind slabs can be very stubborn and may not release until you get well out on them, suddenly failing like a big mouse trap.
    • Shooting cracks in drifted snow are a sure sign of instability.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    People could trigger loose avalanches or sluffs of fresh or storm snow on very steep slopes. These should be generally manageable, but could cause problems if you are pushed off a cliff or into trees or other terrain traps below.

    Expect rising danger, and as new snow stacks up overnight and tomorrow, soft slab avalanches of storm snow will probably become possible for people to trigger even on sheltered slopes.

Special Announcement

Our annual party and fundraiser is coming up on December 6 in Logan at the Cache. 19th Annual Utah Avalanche Center Pray for Snow Party and Fundraiser information and tickets HERE.

Recent Activity

See our updated list of observed avalanches from across Utah HERE

Snow and Weather

A couple inches accumulated on remote weather stations in the Central Bear River Range yesterday, and west winds are increasing a bit on Logan Peak this morning. Sensitive drifts or soft wind slabs are building up and getting thicker as snow is drifted onto steep upper elevation slopes. A winter storm tonight and tomorrow will deliver several inches of snow, with forecasters giving us a wide range of potential accumulation amounts, ranging from 4 to 15 inches in upper elevation terrain. Ridge top winds are expected to be rather gusty, with 40 mph gusts expected during the storm.

Shallow early season snow conditions exist across the Logan Zone, with only about a foot-and-a-half to three feet of total snow covering the rocks on upper elevation slopes. Although the sugary snow keeps you off the ground for the most part, there are numerous shallowly buried land mines out there. The snow is especially loose and sugary around rocks. Local snowmobile mechanics report a good number of A-arm replacements recently.

  • Keep your speed down! Caution is required to avoid hitting shallowly buried rocks, stumps, or down trees.

Additional Info

  • Take the all-new online avalanche courses the UAC built for Know Before You Go or take other online courses listed on the KBYG website (Develop skills -> Online Learning).
  • Get your avalanche rescue gear ready for winter. Put fresh batteries in your transceiver and update the firmware. Inspect your shovel and probe. Get your airbag backpack ready by possibly doing a test deployment and update the firmware if it is an electric version.

General Announcements

Please submit your observations from the backcountry HERE.

For a list of avalanche classes from the Utah Avalanche Center go HERE

For information on where you can ride your sled or snowbike, check out this map of the winter travel plan for the Tony Grove and Franklin Basin Areas HERE.

The Tony Grove Road and other forest roads in the Logan Ranger District are not maintained for wheeled vehicles in the winter.

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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