The new low-density snow combined with a few days of elevated winds will have created some soft slabs of wind drifted snow at upper elevations, and even some mid-elevation terrain features such as sub-ridges and gullies. These wind slabs will be shallow and overall small in size, but these new wind drifts are sitting atop weak faceted snow or a firm snow surface, which will make them very sensitive and cause them to run far and fast. Even a small avalanche would be enough to knock a person off their feet and through complex terrain. Look for any obvious signs of wind drifted snow, such as hollow sounding or pillow-shaped snow, and avoid those slopes.

Elevated winds can deposit snow on all aspects but give northwest through north through east extra caution, as triggering an avalanche that initially fails in the wind-drifted snow is most suspect to step down deeper and fail into the weak faceted from January and February.

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Over the past few days, backcountry skiers in the Salt Lake mountains triggered three separate avalanches 10-18" deep into our Jan/Feb drought layer that is now our prime persistent weak layer. With the additional couple inches of snow and wind, it may be possible to trigger these in the west to north to east-facing slopes today and more likely in the southern part of the Ogden area mountains toward Thurston, Bountiful and Sessions area. Cracking and collapsing are key indicators of instability. You may also be able to trigger these at a distance.