Forecast: Ogden Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Greg Gagne on
Friday morning, March 31, 2023

The avalanche danger is HIGH at the mid and upper elevations due to heavy snowfall and strong winds. Natural avalanches are likely and human-triggered avalanches are very likely. Avalanches may break down into deeper buried layers. The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE at low elevations.

Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.

Avalanches may run down into valley bottoms as avalanche paths are filled in and smooth.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

Learn how to read the forecast here

Special Announcements

On Monday, March 27, two snowmobilers were riding in the Oquirrh Mountains. One was caught, carried, and fully buried in a very large avalanche. His partner, friends and family, Utah County Search and Rescue, Utah Department of Public Safety, and LifeFlight participated in the rescue, but he sadly did not survive. The preliminary avalanche report can be found HERE.

Our sincerest condolences go out to everyone affected by this tragic avalanche.

We are in the process of finalizing a report about the March 9th avalanche fatality in the Uintas. Thank you for your patience and we will publish the final report in coming days.

Weather and Snow

This morning: It is snowing with overnight snow totals of 12". Temperatures are in the lower 20's F and winds are from the west, gusting to the 30's mph along exposed ridgelines, with likely stronger winds along the Ogden Skyline.

Today: The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning through 9 pm this evening. Snow - heaviest through the morning hours - with an additional 4-8" possible by the end of the day. The west/northwest winds will slowly decrease through the day, but remain elevated, averaging in the teens with gusts near 30 mph along exposed ridgelines, with stronger gusts possible at the upper-most elevations.

This Weekend: Sunny and breezy on Saturday with warming temperatures. Another significant winter storm late Sunday into early this coming week.

Recent Avalanches

Resorts are reporting sensitive avalanche conditions this morning with natural avalanches that are propagating widely.

We received few observations from the backcountry on Thursday. There was a report of a skier-triggered avalanche in the backcountry terrain outside of Snowbasin resort, although the skier was not carried. There was also a shallow avalanche (10" deep and 40' wide) in a recent wind drift in Farmington Canyon.

On Tuesday, March 28, there was a snowcat-triggered avalanche in Farmington Canyon (photo below).

Find all recent observations HERE.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Heavy snowfall overnight and into today has created sensitive soft slabs of storm snow. Avalanches may fail within today's storm snow or into one of many deeply-buried interfaces from the several feet of snow we have received over this past week.

UAC director Mark Staples discusses this complex layering from his field day in Farmington Canyon on Thursday:

It's just too complex a situation with an unforgiving penalty if you were to be involved in an avalanche failing this large.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Moderate to strong west/northwest winds have an abundance of soft snow to transport and you will find sensitive slabs of wind-drifted snow at the upper elevations as well as some mid elevation slopes. Triggering an avalanche involving a recent or fresh wind drift may step down into one of the deeply-buried interfaces.

The cornices are immense and recent winds have only added to their size and sensitivity. Cornices may break off naturally, triggering an avalanche onto the slope, as we saw on Thursday in Two Dogs in the Salt Lake mountains. Travel well-back from corniced ridgelines and do not travel below a slope with cornices above.

General Announcements

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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures