Avalanche forecast

Salt Lake

Issued Mar 16, 2021valid to Mar 17, 2021Utah Avalanche Center

Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Today the avalanche danger is LOW on all aspects and elevations as we generally have safe avalanche conditions. Remember, LOW danger means we can have small avalanches in isolated areas or in extreme terrain.

Recall that even a small avalanche can be problematic, especially in very steep and complicated terrain. Think about the terrain you are traveling above today. If it avalanches, where do you go? What are the consequences?

Avalanche problems

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Unlikely
Size
2
Over the weekend, the wind blew from different directions at speeds of 20-30 mph with gusts into the 60's. The wind also blew from the east, creating drifts/wind slabs in unusual locations. I would continue to be on the lookout for lingering drifts of wind-blown snow as some drifts could still be sensitive to the weight of humans. Unfortunately, it could be hard to see these old drifts now that they are buried by a few inches of new snow.

For today - Keep an eye out for new soft drifts of wind-blown snow that could form today if the easterly winds pick up. Right now, the wind is dead calm, and I do not expect there to be any new drifts. As always, be aware of the wind and how/where it moves the snow. Look for an avoid rounded pillowy snow.

Photo: Staples and Champion showing the weekend's wind drifted snow. Notice the pillowy, wavy snow; that's a wind slab.

Special Announcement

Four riders were boot packing up the east ridge of the Pfeifferhorn when a shallow 2-6 inch deep wind slab failed. All four people were caught and carried, and some suffered injuries. Link to the report can be found HERE.

Recent Activity

No new avalanches were reported from the backcountry yesterday. But on Sunday, we had close to 15 human-triggered wind slabs reported with numerous people caught and carried. You can find all the recent avalanche activity HERE.

Snow and Weather

This morning it's snowing lightly in the mountains as a closed low (storm) currently spins over Las Vegas. As this closed low rotates counter-clockwise (cyclonic) and moves eastward, we will continue to see some spillover moisture on an easterly flow here in the Wasatch. Typically this is not a good pattern for accumulating snow for Northern Utah. Still, it looks like we've already picked up 3-6 inches of new snow overnight in the Cottonwoods, with the Park City Ridgeline being favored with closer to 10" of new snow. Fingers crossed that this lingers longer than expected, and we stack some flakes. As this storm moves eastward into Arizona, we could see an increase in the east winds today, with speeds hitting 10-20 mph at the uppermost ridgelines.

Current mountain temperatures are in the low 20's °F, and the winds are dead calm this morning. Hopefully, the winds will remain calm, but with east winds, you never know. The snow surface has taken a beating over the past few days from warm temperatures, sun, and wind. Only mid to upper elevation wind and sun-protected slopes held dry settled powder snow. That being said - with the overnight new snow, I suspect the riding conditions are getting better by the minute.

Additional Info

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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