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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed on
Sunday morning, April 18, 2021
Heightened avalanche conditions and MODERATE danger exist in the backcountry. East winds on Friday night formed stiff drifts near ridges and in and around terrain features in upper elevation terrain, and people could trigger shallow slab avalanches of wind drifted snow on very steep slopes. Also, solar warming will quickly soften any surface crusts from yesterday, and wet loose avalanches entraining moist surface snow are possible in steep sunny terrain.
EVALUATE SNOW AND TERRAIN CAREFULLY
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow
It's 32°F at the 8400' Tony Grove Snotel. About 18" of new snow accumulated at the site last week, and there is 50"of total snow containing around 65% of normal SWE. The wind is blowing 12 mph from the northwest at the CSI Logan Peak weather station, and it's 24°F this morning at 9700'.
It will be nice, sunny, and warm today, with high temperatures at 9000' around 46°F and moderate north and then westerly winds. The sun will be out in full force today, with a clear night tonight, and another blustery and stormy day in the mountains on tap for tomorrow. Not much snow is expected, but gusty and strong westerly winds are, along with snow showers and possible thunder.
This is our last regular avalanche forecast for the season. We are certainly in a drought and there is much less than average snow in the mountains, but nice nice spring snow conditions exist currently in the Logan Zone. Although conditions generally become more predictable in the spring, avalanches are still quite possible in steep terrain, and people should always evaluate the snow and terrain carefully when traveling in the mountains.
Recent Avalanches
No new avalanches were reported or observed recently in the Logan Zone.
People triggered a few slab avalanches of wind drifted snow in the past few days and again yesterday in the Salt Lake and Ogden Area mountains. Visit our backcountry observations page for more info, HERE.
This soft slab avalanche of wind drifted fresh snow was intentionally triggered in Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range in the backcountry above Salt Lake City Thursday, 4-15-2021.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
East winds built stiff drifts or hard wind slabs from this week's snow in unusual or unexpected places and in and around terrain features up high. There were several avalanches of wind drifted snow yesterday in the Wasatch Range, and a few people have been caught and carried by avalanches this week.
  • Avoid drifts on the lee side of major ridges and in and around terrain features like sub ridges, gullies, and cliff bands.
  • Like big mouse traps, harder wind slabs have a nasty way of allowing people to get out on them before releasing.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Wet loose avalanches or sluffs entraining this week's new snow will become likely today in steep terrain due to seasonal warmth and intense sun. Solar warming from the high angled April sun will melt yesterday's surface crusts and cause the fresher snow from the last few days to become moist and sticky, and natural and human triggered wet loose avalanches may become likely on very steep sunny slopes.
  • Wet loose avalanches are generally manageable, but can certainly be a problem because of terrain traps, or of course, if people find themselves below an avalanche.
  • Some wet loose avalanches entraining all the recent snow could create large piles of cement-like debris, especially on long steep slopes.
Additional Information
General Spring Travel Advise:
As daytime temperatures rise, softening the snow, the danger of wet avalanches will increase, so its a good idea to get in the habit of an early start and to plan on heading down before things get too sloppy.
-Watch for trees or other terrain traps below you if you venture onto steep slopes.
-Roller balls, pin-wheels, and natural wet avalanche activity are red flags indicating potential for people to trigger wet avalanches.
-If you start sinking deeply into wet snow, or if the snow you are traveling on becomes unsupportable due to the heat, it's time to leave.
General Announcements
EMAIL ADVISORY. If you would like to get the daily advisory by email you subscribe HERE.
Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche observations....HERE. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your Instagram, or @UAClogan on Twitter. We will continue to post your backcountry observations through the spring....
This forecast is from the USDA Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. The forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
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