The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all upper-elevation aspects where there are fresh soft slabs of wind-drifted snow. On upper-elevation aspects facing northwest through north and east, it is possible to trigger an avalanche failing in a persistent weak layer buried 2-3 feet deep.
All other slopes have a LOW danger.
Westerly winds will create soft slabs of wind-drifted snow on all aspects at the upper elevations. Any fresh wind drifts may be sensitive as they will form on top of slick sun crusts on southerly-facing slopes and weak snow at the surface on shady slopes.
There exists a buried layer of faceted snow 2-4 feet deep at the mid and upper elevations on aspects facing northwest through east. The last avalanche reported on this layer occurred before the New Year and this problem is trending toward dormancy.
You are most likely going to trigger an avalanche failing on this PWL in steep, rocky terrain where there is a thin/shallow snowpack.
Join the UAC at Deer Valley on January 30th for the 2nd Annual Blizzard Ball Gala. The night will be full of fun including delicious cuisine, live music, an auction, and presentation by Bruce Tremper.
No recent avalanche activity reported from the Ogden mountains, but to our south in the Salt Lake mountains, there was a skier-triggered avalanche failing in the persistent weak layer on Thursday on Pioneer Ridge in upper Big Cottonwood Canyon. This was on north aspect at 10,100' and the avalanche was up to 2 feet deep and 30 feet wide. The rider was caught and carried, but deployed an airbag and stayed on the surface with no injuries. Their thoughtful incident report is a worthy read. (Photo below.)
Daniel Turner provides an excellent observation from Thursday on the North Ogden Divide. You can read all the latest observations by clicking the button below.
This Morning: Partly cloudy skies with temperatures between 15-25° F. Winds are from the west and have increased since Thursday, gusting into the upper 20's mph along exposed ridgelines and peaks.
Today: Increasing clouds with temperatures in the upper 20's F. Winds will be from the west/northwest and increasing ahead of a cold front arriving this afternoon, gusting to over 30 mph along exposed ridgelines at the mid and upper elevations.
Overnight and into Saturday: Strong winds this evening with snowfall developing overnight and into Saturday. We are not expecting large water amounts with this storm system (only perhaps 0.20"), but with such cold air in place, snow densities will be quite low which means we may see 2-4" of snowfall by later Saturday.
The Data Explorer for avalanches on the PWL since Christmas Eve.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ
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.
