The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on upper-elevation northwest to north to east-facing slopes, where you could trigger avalanches failing on buried weak, faceted snow.
A MODERATE avalanche danger exists in upper-elevation west to southeast-facing terrain and mid-elevation northwest to north to east-facing terrain. Avalanche danger is LOW on all other aspects.
Today's primary concern continues to be triggering wind slabs that fail on weak, faceted snow. Cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making are crucial for safe travel.
We are dealing with a classic strong snow over weak snow setup though the strong snow varies in strength and depth. In wind-exposed areas, it is compacted and somewhat cohesive, and in sheltered areas, it is rather soft and "body-less." Regardless, the faceted snow is our biggest concern, mainly in upper-elevation terrain facing the north half of the compass.
The wind has been the big player recently, loading mid and upper-elevation slopes that had preexisting weak, faceted snow. Wind slabs can provide just enough support to allow you to venture further onto the slope before they fail, making them particularly dangerous and difficult to identify. Look for and avoid pockets of wind-drifted snow near ridgelines and terrain features like gullies and rock outcroppings.
There were no avalanches reported yesterday.
Mountain temperatures this morning are hovering in the mid-20s to low 30's °F. Winds are calm. Overnight, max gusts were in the teens MPH.
Today, expect fairly benign weather with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the 30s °F. Some high clouds roll in this afternoon, and winds from the west-northwest should pick up a bit, with 11,000' ridgelines seeing 20-30 MPH and gusts near 40 MPH. We are locked into high pressure for the rest of the work week.
We are still waiting for a classic Utah storm to kick off the sliding and riding season. Right now, travel is limited as coverage is highly variable. See Drew's observation from a few days ago for an update on the conditions.
*We may see wet, loose activity on sun-baked slopes with warm temperatures on tap for today.
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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.
