We're no longer issuing danger ratings this spring, but avalanches will still happen in the backcountry.
This weekend (4/27/19): Upper elevation temperatures below freezing and clear skies overnight are good for stability. Wet avalanches are generally unlikely in the morning, but will become possible in steep terrain as snow softens with daytime heating.
The warmth of springtime is causing large cornices to buckle and calve especially during the midday heat, and during cloudy periods when nighttime temperatures stay above freezing.
As usual, it's best to stay off and out from under large ridge top cornices, which are likely to break further back than expected, and could trigger avalanches on steep slopes below.
Get an early start and head home early. Reevaluate your route if you start sinking into soft wet snow.
Avoid being on or under steep slopes with melt-softened saturated snow, and stay out of runout gullies.
Thank you to everyone! The Utah Avalanche Center could not exist without your support.
Numerous fairly large natural wet loose and a few wet slab avalanches occurred in April across the Logan Zone.
Weak high pressure will build across northern Utah today. A relatively dry cold front will push into Utah on Sunday. Unsettled weather is then expected through the first half of the week.
Coverage in the backcountry is quite good for late April, with 6 feet of total snow still at the 8400' Tony Grove Snotel. Temperatures dropped just below freezing overnight and skies cleared, so you'll likely find solid, smooth, and gradually softening springtime snow conditions this morning, and on similar mornings heading into May...
Here is a short video from our staff about Spring Snow Conditions...
Here is my take on Spring Snow in the Logan Zone...
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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.
