Bulletin d’avalanche

Salt Lake

Émis le Mar 18, 2025valide jusqu’au Mar 19, 2025Utah Avalanche Center

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Danger d’avalanche

Alpin
Limite forestière
Sous la limite forestière

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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré last year. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

The danger will be on the rise today with heavy snowfall and increasing winds.

The danger will rise to CONSIDERABLE on all slopes of the mid and upper elevations with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. Plan to see old, new, and developing drifts all around the compass. Remember that new snow avalanches such as storm slabs and loose snow sluffs may run naturally during periods of peak instability.

Problèmes avalancheux

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpin
Limite forestière
Sous la limite forestière
Probabilité
Very Likely
Taille
2
IF the winds verify, we'll see very touchy, very sensitive soft slabs of wind drifted snow primarily on north to east to south facing terrain of the upper elevations...and scattered across the compass at the mid-elevations. Most of the wind slabs from the recent days and days of strong southwest winds have probably stabilized....but not all, particularly at the higher elevations. These older wind slabs are hard and stubborn and hold their cards close (ie-no cracking or collapsing), but the newest drifts will not be as coy - test slopes and ski cuts should provide the info you need. Please keep cornices on your radar - they loom large these days. Don't wander out on top of them in the whiteout.

Trend: Increasing danger

Uncertainty Level: Moderate
Storm Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpin
Limite forestière
Sous la limite forestière
Probabilité
Likely
Taille
2
The new snow should bond fairly well to the old warm and worn snow surfaces, but with heavy snowfall, failure planes may occur within the storm snow. Natural storm slab and loose snow avalanches occur during peak snowfall instability and springtime can offer just that. You don't want to find yourself in the steepest terrain with nowhere to hide when it starts to snow 2"/hour. To be clear: booting up steep couloirs during the storm is not recommended today.

Trend: Increasing Danger

Uncertainty Level: Low
Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpin
Limite forestière
Sous la limite forestière
Probabilité
Unlikely
Taille
3
The likelihood of triggering an avalanche on one of two buried persistent weak layers is low, but still worth a mention, particularly during heavy snowfall and wind. The two layers of concern are essentially basal depth hoar on slopes that have avalanched a time or two earlier this winter. The second is a layer of faceted snow adjacent to a dust layer 2-3 feet deep. These might be more susceptible to releasing by cornice fall or by a more superficial avalanche that then steps down.

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Recent Activity

Backcountry observers reported a couple new (likely natural cornice-fall induced) wind slab avalanches in Jaws of upper Days Fork and the Wolverine Cirque (Quigley photo below). Despite these new releases, ski areas and observers reported conditions to be less active and more stubborn than the day before.

Broads Fork also shed some full depth glide releases on the steep quartzite slabs of Bonkers and the Diving Board. Check out all recent avalanches and observations HERE.

It's not in our forecast zone, per se, but many Wasatch skiers and riders head to the Ruby Range just south of Elko, Nevada. Often the prize they're seeking is the Terminal Cancer couloir in Lamoille Canyon. Some local skiers had a very close call on Sunday and sent us an excellent write-up that offers some good takeaways. Recommended reading.

Snow and Weather

The storm is upon us as foretold and skiers/riders today will necessarily assume the color of the storm and the landscape upon which they travel.

Frontal passage occurred around midnight with a dramatic drop in temperatures and a wind shift to the northwest. As of 5am, snow totals are roughly 4-8" (up to 0.65" SWE), slightly favoring upper LCC. Mountain temperatures are in the low teens up high, the low 20s down low. The searing southwesterly winds, mercifully, are a thing of the past, having lost steam after veering to the northwest. They're averaging 10-15mph with gusts to 20. Along the highest ridgelines, they're seeing hourly averages of 25-30mph with gusts to 35.

Today: It should snow for most of the day and into the early evening with some lake-effect kicking in. I imagine we'll see 12-18" or more by dinner time. Temperatures will drop toward the low single digits to low teens. The spoiler: I'm seeing moderate to occasionally strong west to northwest winds along the ridgelines today. I hope I'm wrong, but it might be worth planning your outing today for wind sheltered terrain. Let me know how it goes.

The Outlook: some clearing for Wednesday with some unsettled weather for Thursday and perhaps Saturday.

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