Logan

CONSIDERABLE: Use extra caution in the backcountry, make conservative choices, and continue to avoid and stay off and out from under steep drifted slopes. Heavy snowfall and drifting from strong south and westerly winds overloaded slopes with buried persistent weak layers and created dangerous avalanche conditions in the backcountry. Avalanches could be triggered remotely, from a distance, or below. You can find safer conditions in low angled terrain, but evaluate snow and terrain carefully, and avoid steep drifted slopes and avalanche runout zones.

THE FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER IN SALT LAKE CITY HAS CONTINUED A BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WARNING.

* TIMING...THROUGH 530 AM MST MONDAY.

* AFFECTED AREA...THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN UTAH INCLUDING THE BEAR RIVER RANGE, THE WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS, AND ALL OF THE WASATCH RANGE.

* AVALANCHE DANGER...THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS HIGH IN THE WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS, AND THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS CONSIDERABLE IN THE BEAR RIVER AND WASATCH MOUNTAIN RANGES. HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES ARE LIKELY ON ALL STEEP WIND DRIFTED SLOPES.

* REASON/IMPACTS...DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS CONTINUE...CREATED BY THE SNOW AND WIND FROM PREVIOUS STORMS. AVOID BEING ON OR UNDERNEATH STEEP SLOPES.

BACKCOUNTRY TRAVELERS SHOULD CONSULT WWW.UTAHAVALANCHECENTER.ORG OR CALL 1-888-999-4019 FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION.

THIS WARNING DOES NOT APPLY TO SKI AREAS WHERE AVALANCHE HAZARD REDUCTION MEASURES ARE PERFORMED.

-A backcountry skier was buried by and avalanche and killed near Fairview late Thursday. Search and rescue teams from Emery and Sanpete County recovered his body yesterday near Electric Lake on the Manti Skyline. Preliminary report HERE.

-As you know there have been numerous large avalanches across the region in the past couple days.

-Snow safety teams in Northern Utah in the last couple days have seen the most active period they've seen so far this season.

-Natural avalanches were widespread in the Wellsville Range, but they're covered up by fresh snow now so not so obvious.

Please report backcountry avalanche activity in the Logan Zone if you see any today....

Southwest winds are intensifying this morning, drifting yesterday's fresh snow into upper and mid elevation avalanche starting zones. Wind drifted snow and widespread buried persistent weak layers are creating dangerous avalanche conditions at upper and mid elevations in the backcountry. At low elevations, the loose faceted snow near the ground was dampened by Thursday's rain, and we found unstable conditions, but yesterday's cooler weather solidified things a bit and increased stability. Heightened conditions exist and dangerous avalanches are still possible on slopes with poor snow structure.

The Tony Grove Snotel at 8400' reports a couple feet of new snow and 3.5" SWE in the last 5 days. It's a toasty 31º F this morning and there's 62" of total snow containing 95% of average SWE. I'm reading 26º F at the 9700' CSI Logan Peak weather station, and west-southwest winds are currently averaging around 22 mph and gusting into the mid 40s.

The weak ridge over the Intermountain region will begin to break down Sunday as a Pacific storm system comes onto the West Coast. This potent storm system will reach Utah Monday with widespread precipitation and exit by Tuesday. A somewhat moist northwest flow with a couple of weak disturbances will impact mainly northern Utah Wednesday through Thursday. Today, we'll see mostly cloudy skies, a high temperature around 35º F at 9000', and 15 to 21 mph southwest winds. It'll snow tonight, with 3 to 5 inches of accumulation possible, low temperatures around 22º F and 18 to 23 mph increasing south winds. On Martin Luther King Day expect snow with 5 to 9 inches possible, temperatures dropping to around 17º F and 15 to 22 mph west wind.

I will update this forecast tomorrow morning.

Now is a great time to practice companion rescue techniques with your backcountry partners. You should check out and use the new Avalanche Beacon Training Park we set up at the Franklin Basin trailhead. Special thanks to Northstars Ultimate Outdoors and USU Outdoor Program for helping us to make this possible.

The Beaver Mountain Backside is the backcountry, and it is avalanche terrain. If you cross the ski area boundary, you and your partners should carry and practice with avalanche rescue equipment.

Check out the improved weather links, road conditions, and weather links for each forecast region on the new UAC IOS App. Do you use the NOAA point forecast? If so, now you can bookmark your favorite weather locations in "My Weather" in the App. HERE

Are you new to the backcountry or looking to refresh your skills? The UAC has released a free 5-part avalanche skills eLearning series. HERE

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Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche observations. HERE You can call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your Instagram.

This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. The forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.