The hazard starts out Low this morning, rising to Moderate with the primary hazard of wet loose avalanches as the snow heats up from the sun. On steep northerly aspects at the upper elevations, dry/loose sluffs as well as shallow soft slab avalanches are possible.
Timing is everything - plan to be off of and out from underneath steeper slopes once the snow surface warms, including lower elevation exits on all aspects.
The snow surface has had another night with a solid refreeze, but wet, loose avalanches are possible as the snow heats up from the sun, such as the wet activity from Sunday around Ben Lomond. You can expect wet avalanche activity - including both natural and human-triggered slides - on slopes facing east, south, and west, as well as northerly slopes at the low and mid elevations.
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Only minor sluffing was reported from Sunday, with wet loose sluffs on steeper sunny aspects, and small dry sluffs on steeper northerly aspects at the upper elevations. The photo below is from UAC Moab forecaster Eric Trenbeath, showing some dry sluffing in the Ben Lomond region on Sunday. Click here to see Eric & Kory Davis's observation from Sunday. Eric is spending a few days with us up here, and you can look forward to his forecast for the Ogden mountains tomorrow.
Temperatures this morning in the Ogden mountains are in the upper 20's and low 30's F and winds are westerly and light, less than 10 mph, with high thin clouds overhead.
For mountain weather, expect high thin clouds and temperatures rising into the low 40’s at lower elevations and through the 30’s F at mid and upper elevations. Winds will be westerly and light, averaging less than 10 mph with a few gusts in the teens.
For those sharing my boredom with the current weather, there is a glimmer of hope for a somewhat more active weather pattern beginning later this week. Although no significant storms are in sight, there are chances for moisture, and although the track currently seems to favor southern and central Utah, enough moisture may make its way north.
Thinking about a trip to the Provo mountains or further south to the La Sals? It is a much different avalanche situation to our south with significantly more dangerous avalanche conditions. Be sure to check the forecasts for Provo (link) or the La Sals (link) as you plan your trip. The photo below is from the Provo mountains on Sunday where a wet slide buried the Squaw Peak road with 15' of debris.
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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.
