Forecast: Ogden Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Monday morning, March 20, 2023

The avalanche danger is MODERATE in the mid and upper elevations.

You'll be able to trigger loose dry new snow avalanches as well as lingering and developing slabs of wind drifted snow in steep terrain. New snow avalanches are particularly sensitive during any periods of high and sustained rates of snowfall.

***The winds are expected to pick up in the late afternoon - watch for an increasing avalanche danger with changing conditions.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Weather and Snow

Happy first day of spring.

We have a fairly active week with weather. This first impulse has already brought 3-6" of snow across the range. Mountain temperatures are in the upper teens to mid-20s. Winds are light to moderate out of the southwest.

For today, we'll see continued snowfall - perhaps 4-8" during the day. Winds will veer to the west and be gusty along the highest ridgelines during and just after frontal passage this afternoon.

We get a bit of a break tomorrow ahead of another potent storm Tuesday night into early Friday. We may see as much as 20-30"+ of snow with this system. The weather pattern remains active for the weekend into next week.

Recent Avalanches

None reported in the Ogden mountains although in the SLC mountains, a natural cornice fall triggered a 14" deep and 100' wide soft slab below on a steep north facing slope. Also, a skier triggered a hard slab of wind drifted snow on a 28° slope that was connected to a steeper slope. It broke 18" deep and 200'.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

You'll still be able to trigger lingering soft and hard slabs of wind drifted snow from Saturday/Sunday, primarily in the upper elevation bands, and predominantly on the north side of the compass. Note that these 1-2' thick slabs can be found well off the ridgelines and on mid-slope breakovers.

Stronger westerly winds are forecast today in the Ogden and Logan area mountains by the afternoon. Watch for developing soft slabs of wind blown snow to the lee of ridgelines and terrain features in the mid and upper elevations. You may be able to trigger these at a distance.

CORNICES are not to be messed with. They are as big as I can remember and they can crush a skier or rider that either falls over the edge with one.....or crush a skier or rider below.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Loose dry sluffs in the new snow can be triggered in steep terrain of all aspects in the mid and upper elevations...and may run naturally during periods of higher snowfall rates. I suspect they'll run fast and far on the underlying bed surfaces of slick sun and wind crusts or loose faceted grains. More info on sluffs and sluff management.

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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.

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