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Forecast for the Logan Area Mountains

Toby Weed
Issued by Toby Weed on
Monday morning, January 25, 2021
Elevated avalanche conditions exist and there is MODERATE danger on steep slopes in the central and northern Bear River Range. People could trigger soft slab avalanches where fresh snow has been drifted, and possibly more dangerous avalanches involving old snow failing on a sugary buried persistent weak layer near the ground. You'll find safer conditions in sheltered lower angled and lower elevation terrain.
There is more uncertainty, and so CONSIDERABLE danger exists on upper and mid elevation slopes in the southern part of the zone, the Logan Peak Area, and the Wellsville Range.
  • Evaluate snow and terrain carefully, and make conservative decisions.
  • Stay off and out from under drifted slopes steeper than about 30 degrees.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Weather and Snow
We found pretty nice shallow powder conditions at upper elevations in the Bear River Range yesterday. It's snowing lightly this morning, and about 5 inches of new snow fell Saturday at upper elevations. It looks like a bit more fell in the southern part of the zone and in the Wellsville Range. The 8400' TGLU1 Snotel reports only 63% of normal SWE for the date, and the existing snowpack is generally quite shallow in the Logan Zone.
We found nice shallow powder conditions and pretty good stability at upper elevations in the Central Bear River Range yesterday.
Today will be cloudy, with 8500' high temperatures around 21°F, a moderate southeast breeze, wind chill values as low as -9°F. More snow is likely this week in a progressive weather pattern, but the bulk of the moisture and energy of today's storm will pass mostly to our south.
Recent Avalanches
It was an active weekend, with numerous human triggered avalanches and a few close calls in the Wasatch Range, where lots of new snow fell Friday night and Saturday.
Observers yesterday reported a few natural and triggered shallow soft slab and loose avalanches of new snow in the Bear River Range. There was one report of a small remotely triggered avalanche that involved old snow in the Peter Sinks area. It stepped down to into the faceted snow from December.
Lots of snow fell in the Ben Lomond Area and in the north fork of the Ogden Valley, and there were a few pretty big avalanches triggered by people Saturday, but nobody got caught.
  • A local rider was completely buried in Steep Hollow on 1-8-2021. Thankfully, he was rescued in time by his riding partners. Our accident report shows the details.. HERE
  • In early January there were several large remotely triggered avalanches in the Logan Zone, all triggered by sledders or snow bikers, and luckily from a distance. See the avalanche list HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Very weak sugary or faceted snow near the ground is widespread across the region, and people could trigger avalanches where a slab of more cohesive snow has formed on top of the weak snow. A small avalanche overrunning a slope with poor snow structure could cause a larger, more dangerous avalanche. The load of the new snow may be enough in some areas to overload deeper buried persistent weak layers that are widespread across the zone, and large avalanches could result.
  • Avalanches failing on a buried persistent weak layer might be triggered remotely, from a distance, or worse from below!
  • Cracking and collapsing of the snow are a red flag, indicating unstable snow conditions.
Still finding propagation in snow pit tests Thursday on an east-northeast facing slope at 8400' in the backcountry on the backside of Beaver Mountain. This layer could easily be reactivated by the new load from today's storm.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Today's moderate south and southeast winds may enough to drift fresh snow into lee slope avalanche starting zones and build drifts high on steep slopes. In some areas, moderate south and west winds in the past couple days may have created more cohesive slabs of new snow, and soft slab avalanches are possible for people to trigger on steep mid and upper elevation slopes facing west through north and east.
  • Watch for and avoid drifted snow at upper and mid elevations near ridge tops and in and around terrain features like gullies, scoops, cliff bands, and sub ridges.
We cracked out this shallow but hard wind slab near the saddle on Beaver Mountain Backside Thursday. There are more old hard drifts and lots of soft new ones out there that could be triggered.
Additional Information
Do you have the essential avalanche rescue gear (transceiver, probe, and shovel) and do you know how to use them? Watch this video to see how the three pieces of equipment work together. HERE
This video is from the 1-8-2021 avalanche in Steep Hollow that completely buried a local snow bike rider.
Please use the Beacon Training Park and Beacon Checker at the Franklin Basin Trailhead...
General Announcements
Thanks to the generous support of our local resorts, Ski Utah, and Backcountry, discount lift tickets are now available. Support the UAC while you ski at the resorts this season. Tickets are available here.
Visit this website with information about Responsible Winter Recreation by the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation.
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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 tweet or Instagram.
I will update this forecast by around 7:30 tomorrow morning.
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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