With generally stable snow conditions, avalanches are unlikely and the danger is LOW in the backcountry today. Get an early start, so you can get off the snow early before it is softened by seasonal midday warmth. Avoid and stay out from underneath overhanging cornices. If you start sinking into soft saturated snow, it's time to change your route, get off and out from under slopes steeper than 30°, or head home. Use normal caution.
Avoid and stay out from underneath overhanging cornices, especially during the heat of the day. The cornices are sagging and buckling due to the heat, and some are naturally calving off large chunks... In some cases, the warmth has softened the previously drifted snow, and people could trigger fairly large cornice falls. Cornice falls could trigger wet avalanches on steep slopes below.
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Conditions are quite a bit different this weekend than last, with much colder temperatures and much more stable snow in the backcountry. Last weekend's exceptionally warm weather caused a fairly widespread natural wet avalanche cycle in the Logan Zone, with several large wet slab and numerous wet loose avalanches observed.
A large natural wet loose avalanche from last weekend in Three Terraces, upper Providence Canyon, looks like it was triggered by a cornice fall overrunning the slope.
Check out all the recent backcountry observations and many recent avalanche reports from across Utah HERE.
Freezing temperatures last night and in the last few nights put a hold on the meltdown and formed a pretty solid and thick melt-freeze crust on top of the saturated snow. In this refrozen state, wet snow is stable and avalanches are generally unlikely. High angled April sun and seasonal daytime warmth will soften up the snow surface by midday. If you start sinking into wet snow or observe signs of wet snow instability, it's time to reevaluate your route so that you avoid steep terrain.
The 8400' Tony Grove Snotel reports 29°F, and there is 57 inches of total snow at the site, containing 72% of normal SWE. North-northwest winds are blowing around 15 mph at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station, where overnight temperatures were several degrees below freezing, and it's 24°F this morning.
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Who's up for some free avalanche training? Get a refresher, become better prepared for an upcoming avalanche class, or just boost your skills. Go to https://learn.kbyg.org/ and scroll down to Step 2 for a series of interactive online avalanche courses produced by the UAC.
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.
