The avalanche danger is LOW in most terrain; however, areas with MODERATE danger exist on some drifted upper elevation slopes that are steeper than 30 degrees. People could trigger small avalanches of wind-blown new snow.
Starting tonight, a winter storm with heavy snowfall and drifting by winds from the southwest will overload slopes with existing weak layers, elevating tomorrow's avalanche danger.
Small slabs of wind-drifted new snow formed yesterday at upper elevations on lee slopes and in and around terrain features. Today, people could trigger soft wind slabs up to around a foot deep,and some of these could be quite sensitive.
We observed a sizable debris pile from a recent natural loose wet avalanche last Thursday in Upper Steam Mill Canyon.
For all observations and avalanche activity in the Logan zone, go HERE
Yesterday, about 3 inches of new snow accumulated in upper elevation terrain (above about 8500 feet). The dusting of new snow really improved the riding conditions and certainly freshened the view. Beneath the fresh snow, the old snow surface is quite variable, with crusts of differing thickness on sunny slopes, wind crusts and sastrugi in exposed terrain, cornflake-like surface hoar, and soft and fairly deep, recrystalized powder (or faceted surface snow) in sheltered northerly terrain. In some upper elevation terrain, winds from the west drifted snow, picking it up in lower-angled fetch areas on the windward side of ridges and redepositing it as shallow wind slabs on steep lee slopes and around terrain features near the ridge tops.
The wind is fairly light this morning on the summit of Logan Peak (9700 feet), and it's currently blowing 8 to 15 mph from the north. At 8700 feet, the UAC Card Canyon weather station reads a temperature of 15°F and 42 inches of total snow, with 3 inches of new snow. The Tony Grove Snotel at 8400 feet also reports 3 inches of new snow from yesterday. It's 20°F, and there's 54 inches of total snow. It's 12°F on Paris Peak at 9500 feet, and very light wind is now blowing from the east-northeast, 2 to 4 mph.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the Logan Zone, beginning later today north of the state line and late tonight in the mountains of Northern Utah, through Thursday morning. We're keeping our fingers crossed, 6 to 12 inches of new snow could accumulate in upper elevation terrain in the Bear River Range, and it's sorely needed. The new snow will begin to overload weak layers that were buried and preserved by yesterday's dusting of fresh snow, elevating avalanche conditions in the backcountry. Yesterday, we found an obvious, shallowly buried weak layer comprised of huge surface hoar crystals in upper-elevation terrain near Emigration Summit in the Northern Bear River Range. See the observation HERE
All backcountry travel involves inherent risk...
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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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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.
