Avalanche forecast

Provo

Utah Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

  • Alpine
  • Treeline
  • Below treeline
Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Avalanche danger is LOW this morning but will rise to MODERATE as temperatures warm. Avoid sunny aspects with slushy surfaces or an unsupportable snowpack. Wet slides in these areas may start small but can quickly entrain snow and produce heavy, deep debris.

Grey on low elevation southerly aspects indicates that there is little to no snow in this terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1

    Unseasonably warm temperatures are causing the snowpack to become saturated and lose strength in the heat of the day. Be alert on slopes with wet and unsupportable surfaces. These are the slopes where you could trigger a small but commanding wet snow avalanche.

    To gauge supportability as you travel, step out of your skis, board, or snowshoes. If you only sink an inch or two, the snow is supportive. If you sink a foot or more, the snowpack is unsupportable,and you should avoid travel on steep slopes.

Special Announcement

Greatest Rain on Earth?!?: Forecaster Drew Hardesty penned a new essay about high-elevation rain and the warm-snow drought HERE.

Weak Snow: Today's Surface, Tomorrow's Avalanche Problem: Essay by UAC Director Paige Pagnucco HERE.

Recent Activity

  • Provo Peak: Yesterday, while descending an east-facing slope around 10,300 feet, a rider triggered a small, wet-loose avalanche. Note: These avalanches will be easier to trigger and produce larger, deeper, debris piles today.

You can view recent observations here.

Snow and Weather

Currently, the skies are clear. Temperatures are inverted. Most sites above 7000 feet saw overnight lows in the mid-30s °F. This creates a very short window for supportable and safer travel on sunny slopes. Overnight, winds blew from the WNW at 10–20 mph.

Today, we'll see increasing cloud cover, with daytime temperatures climbing a few degrees higher than yesterday, into the upper 40s °F. The wind will be light, 5-10 mph out of the west this morning, and will back to the SW and increase to 10-25 mph this afternoon.

Looking ahead: We will start to see a change in the weather on Monday as a storm moves across northern Utah. We could see a few snowflakes, but accumulation doesn't look to begin until Tuesday or Wednesday. There is still a wide range in potential snowfall, but some accumulation is likely, and the weather looks to remain active through late next week and beyond.

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.

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