Most terrain has a LOW avalanche danger. A MODERATE avalanche danger, however, exists in the upper elevations. Human triggered avalanches 1-2' deep are possible, particularly in areas with recent drifts of wind blown snow.
Follow safe travel protocol:
Cloud cover will be the WILD CARD. Any sun or greenhousing today will probably make WET AVALANCHES the primary concern.
Active wind transport at the mid and upper elevations has been noted over the past few days and drifts may still be triggered in steep wind loaded terrain. North to east to south facing aspects will hold most of the drifts, but terrain channeling will allow for wind drifts to be found around terrain features of all aspects.
Our last regular forecast is Sunday, April 17th. Intermittent forecasts will be issued through April based upon weather conditions which affect avalanche danger.
None repored in the Provo mountains. Ski area teams in the central Wasatch triggered shallow wind slabs in the upper elevations.
A weak storm has produced at most a trace in the Provo mountains. The Salt Lake mountains have picked up 1-3". The Ogden area mountains have already picked up 5-7" (0.60"SWE). We should see perhaps another trace to an inch or two at most this morning before precipitation turns more showery in the mid to late morning hours. Temperatures are in the upper 20s and just below freezing in the basins and trailheads. Winds are from the west-southwest, blowing15-20mph with gusts to 35. The highest elevations have gusts to 50.
Whatever pans out for this current system will add to the mid week snowfall - numbers below.
Upper Cottonwoods: 20-24" (1.38"-1.70" SWE) *snow-water-equivalent
Park City ridgeline: 12-24" (1-2.0" SWE): higher amounts along the northern end of the PC ridge
Ogden mountains: 20-26" (1.64" SWE)
Provo mountains: 6-10"(0.6" SWE)
Skies will transition from obscured to overcast to eventually partly cloudy by mid/late afternoon. Winds will be west-southwesterly, blowing 15mph with gusts to 25. Higher wind speeds are expected north of I-80. Temperatures will be in the mid-20s up high, the mid-30s down low. Another storm arrives later tomorrow with more wind and less snow. The long term forecast looks classic spring - whiplashing temperatures and occasional periods of wind and snow.
THE WILD CARD (AGAIN): If the strong mid-April sun comes out for periods of time and/or is accompanied by intense greenhousing, WET AVALANCHES may become the primary concern. Direct sun will affect the solar aspects while greenhousing will rapidly affect the cold snow on all aspects, even the mid-elevation northerly aspects. YOU'LL NEED TO BE YOUR OWN FORECASTER to see how the sky cover affects the snow surfaces.
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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.
