Forecast: Ogden Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Greg Gagne on
Friday morning, January 31, 2025

The avalanche danger will rise to MODERATE on upper-elevation slopes as increasing winds will create sensitive soft slabs of wind-drifted snow on aspects facing northwest, through east, and southeast.

The avalanche danger is expected to rise by Saturday, with heavy snowfall and strong winds forecast for this weekend.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

Learn how to read the forecast here

Avalanche Watch

What

Heavy snowfall and drifting by strong winds will elevate the backcountry avalanche danger over the weekend. Very dangerous conditions and HIGH avalanche danger are expected to develop in many areas.

When

In effect from 6am MST this morning to 6am MST Saturday

Where

For the mountains of Northern Utah and Southeast Idaho, including the Wasatch Range, Bear River Range, and Uinta Mountains.

Impacts

This weekend, heavy snow and strong winds will overload widespread weak surface snow and elevate the avalanche danger. Dangerous human-triggered and natural avalanches are likely. People should avoid travel in backcountry avalanche terrain and avoid avalanche runouts. Stay off of and out from underneath slopes steeper than 30 degrees.

Special Announcements

Check out this insightful blog by Paige and Jeremy where they break down the complexities of Persistent Weak Layer (PWL) avalanches, why thin and rocky areas are especially dangerous, and how to manage the risks effectively in the backcountry.

Understanding the Risk of Persistent Weak Layer Avalanches

Weather and Snow

This Morning: Skies are clear and temperatures are in the mid 20's F with light winds from the west, gusting into the 20's mph along exposed ridgelines at the mid and upper elevations.

Today: Skies will cloud up this afternoon with temperatures rising into the mid 30's F. Winds will be from the west/southwest and increasing throughout the day, gusting to near 30 mph along exposed ridgelines at the mid and upper elevations.

This Weekend: The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the mountains of northern Utah, with heavy snow expected to develop overnight and into Saturday, lasting through at least Monday. Rising temperatures with more than 1 foot of heavy, dense snow accompanied by strong winds are possible by Sunday.

Recent Avalanches

No backcountry avalanches were reported on Thursday. Two excellent recent observations on the current snowpack structure:

- Doug Wewer on Wednesday

- Derek DeBruin on Thursday

Find all avalanches from the past few days on the observations and avalanche page.

Observations and Avalanches

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Increasing winds from the west will create fresh wind drifts at the upper elevations. Wind drifts may be sensitive as they will form on top of weak, faceted snow at the surface of the snowpack on slopes facing north through east and southeast.

Brian Smith's video shown below provides an idea of how weak the current snow surface is:

General Announcements

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

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