Forecast: Ogden Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Nikki Champion on
Saturday morning, January 31, 2026

The overall avalanche danger remains LOW, and normal caution is advised.

Today, you may be able to trigger both wet and dry loose snow sluffs on southerly and northerly aspects, respectively. Any dry loose sluff could gouge into older faceted snow, entraining more snow than expected and leaving larger debris piles.

Pay attention to the bump in winds. At the highest elevations, you may also encounter shallow slabs of wind-drifted snow in lee terrain.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Special Announcements

New essay by UAC Director Paige Pagnucco - Weak Snow: Today’s Surface, Tomorrow’s Avalanche Problem

Weather and Snow

This morning, skies are clear and mountain temperatures sit in the upper 20s to low 30s °F. West to northwest winds are blowing 10–20 mph with gusts into the 30s.

Today will be mostly sunny, with moderate northwest winds remaining elevated along the highest ridgelines, where gusts may reach 40 mph. Temperatures will warm into the mid-30s °F at upper elevations and the mid-40s °F down low.

As Drew mentioned yesterday, the longer-term weather outlook remains fairly grim, with not one but two blocking patterns setting up to deflect any potential storms. Not all hope is lost, however. There are hints of a pattern shift in the second week of February, possibly closer to Valentine’s Day. For now, we will just keep updating the models and hoping for a change.

Riding conditions are much improved with Wednesday night's couple of inches of snow. It's a good time to explore: Kauffman rode around the mountains east of Eden earlier this week, and his excellent report is HERE.

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The Week in Review is hot off the press!

Recent Avalanches

No new avalanches reported from the Ogden area backcountry. Ski areas have noted very shallow, pockety wind slabs up high, and some longer running loose dry sluffs in steep terrain.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

While the danger is generally LOW, there are a few minor avalanche issues to consider, particularly in the higher-elevation bands today.

At the highest elevations, particularly on northeast through southeast facing slopes, you may encounter sensitive pockets of wind-drifted snow. These slabs are shallow and should show obvious signs of instability, such as shooting cracks or minor collapsing. With the elevated winds, these wind drifts will continue to grow in size. Ski cuts may be an effective mitigation tool.
Loose dry sluffs may gouge deeply into the old, weak surface snow, leaving deeper debris piles, especially in gullies or other confined terrain. These “facet” sluffs are slow but dense and may knock you over and drag you downslope.
Yesterday’s cloud cover kept the new snow dry, but with clear skies today, Wednesday night’s few inches of snow will likely begin to dampen with sun and rising temperatures. Shallow but longer running wet loose sluffs are possible on slick crusts on solar aspects.

General Announcements

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