Avalanche forecast

Salt Lake

Issued Jan 29, 2020valid to Jan 30, 2020Utah Avalanche Center

Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

Out of date — this forecast expired 7 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Today, a MODERATE avalanche danger exists at upper elevations where wind drifted snow is the main concern and can be found on any upper elevation aspect. Look for any signs of wind drifted snow, and avoid those slopes.

At mid and low elevations the avalanche danger is LOW where generally safe avalanche conditions exist.

Heads up: There could be a short period of high snowfall rates this morning, and the new snow may sluff on the steepest slopes.

Avalanche problems

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Possible
Size
2
The main avalanche issues to watch out for are slabs of wind drifted snow. Yesterday, winds blew from many different directions. High winds can deposit snow around terrain features on almost any aspect, called cross-loading. For this reason, I would expect to find sensitive slabs of wind drifted snow at all upper slopes, especially along with terrain features such as ridgelines, sub ridges, and gullies.

Today continue to look for slopes with any signs of wind drifted snow, such as cracking, hollow noises, and pillow-shaped snow and avoiding those slopes.

Cornice: Many ridgelines now have large and overhanging cornices. A few days of strong winds at the uppermost ridgelines have made cornices even larger. Be sure to give cornices a wide berth as they typically break much further back than expected.

Special Announcement

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Recent Activity

Yesterday, a few more avalanches were reported in the backcountry. These continue to be soft slabs of wind drifted snow failing 4-12 inches deep. Yesterday, these avalanches were reported above 10,000 feet.

Photo - an avalanche in White Pine yesterday that failed 6 inches deep and ran 150 feet wide. See the full observation HERE. (Photo: J. Gal & S. Carnahan)

One outlier avalanche reported was a wet slab avalanche that occurred on Monday on Mount Olympus likely during the very early morning hours of Monday when warm precipitation had saturated the entirety of snow stuck to the steep rock slabs and released fully. This avalanche was 400 feet wide on a north aspect, at 7,500 feet, and ran for 500 feet. You can find the full observation HERE.

A few ski areas still reported sensitive soft slabs running on a variety of old snow surfaces.

Snow and Weather

Yesterday brought a trace amount of snow to the mountains, overcast skies and high temperatures in the mid-20s F to low 30s F. Winds stayed westerly averaging in the mid-teens with gusts up to 30 mph at the ridgetops. The uppermost elevations, above 11,000' feet, saw some gusts above 50 mph.

This morning, snow has just begun to fall with a trace in the mountains, temperatures are currently in the mid-teens F at trailheads and low-teens F at ridgetops. Westerly winds are averaging in the single digits to low teens with gusts near 10-15 mph.

Today, yet another weak system will impact the area this morning into the early afternoon. The mountains could pick up another 3-5 inches of snow, with temperatures in the low 20s F to upper 20s. The winds will switch back to northwesterly and average in the teens and gusts into the 20s mph.

Looking down the road, weekend ridgetop temperatures may reach into the mid-40s F! The heatwave should be brief; however, the models do bring a strong cold front on Monday.

Additional Info

Glide Avalanche: Large bone-shattering glide avalanches have run in Broads Fork of BCC in recent days. Broads Fork (Bonkers, Diving Board, Blue Ice), Stairs Gulch, and Mill B South are all suspect and travel beneath the rock slabs are not recommended.

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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures