Forecast: Logan Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

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Weather and Snow

Heightened wet avalanche conditions persist without a significant refreeze of the saturated snow, and overnight clouds and low temperatures in the mountains generally above 40°F... Cloud cover overnight capped long-wave radiational heat loss from the atmosphere, likely preventing much surface crust formation. Riding today will be about the same as we've seen in recent days, with rough, dusty snow surfaces and increasingly punchy conditions as the snow becomes less supportable during the day. A saturated snowpack makes the timing of wet avalanches hard to predict because the snow softens and becomes unstable at different elevations and aspects at different times. Given the uncertainty inherent in wet avalanche prediction, your safest option is simply to avoid traveling on or under steep slopes.

The UAC Card Canyon weather station at 8700 feet reports 42°F and 46 inches of total snow. It's also 42°F at the Tony Grove Snotel at 8400', with 55 inches of total snow. At 9700 feet on Logan Peak, winds are blowing from the southwest at 24 to 33 mph. It's 38°F on Paris Peak at 9500 feet, and the winds are from the southwest, blowing 17 to 21 mph. It will be mostly cloudy today, and temperatures at the highest elevations in the Logan Zone will reach around 50°F, with light winds from the south-southwest. Overnight, temperatures will stay well above freezing in most areas again. This week, temperatures will climb back up into the "way too hot" or well-above-normal range until Thursday, when another short-lived, dry cold front passes through, and freezing temperatures are possible that night.

Coverage up high is still good, though the snow is rough, dusty, and covered in debris.

Recent Avalanches

In the last few days across the Logan Zone, we've observed numerous natural wet avalanches caused by the extreme heat wave. On Sunday, an observer reported a fresh natural wet avalanche on Steam Mill Peak...

A natural, loose wet avalanche occurred Friday afternoon on Grandfather Cornice...

Find observations from the Logan Zone and from across the state HERE.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

This morning, all mountain weather stations are reporting temperatures that are well above freezing. Clouds overnight likely prevented much of a surface refreeze, and the snow surface will quickly soften in today's heat. Loose wet avalanches involving saturated snow are possible in very steep, rocky terrain. Wet slab avalanches are also possible, as meltwater is percolating through the snowpack, actively weakening the snow above buried weak layers, pooling on crusts, and increasing the potential for large, natural avalanches. As slab layers soften in the heat, it becomes easier for a person to trigger a dangerous avalanche.

Pay attention to terrain traps below you, such as gullies or cliffs, where even a small avalanche can have severe consequences.
If you're sinking into the snow above your ankles, or you're seeing active roller balls, move to shadier or lower-angle terrain.
Avoid being on or under steep slopes with saturated surface snow and poor snow structure.
An example of what we are talking about when we mention wet slab avalanches.
Although wet avalanches are hard to predict, the video below shows potential for wet slab avalanches to propagate across a slope.

Additional Information

Travel with a partner, and cross or ride slopes steeper than 30 degrees one at a time while the rest of your group watches from a safe spot.
Ensure that everyone in the group has avalanche rescue equipment (a transceiver, probe, and shovel) and knows how to use it.

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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.

General Announcements

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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.

Observations and Avalanches

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