Forecast: Ogden Area Mountains - Utah Avalanche Center

Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Issued by Greg Gagne on
Friday morning, January 10, 2025

The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on upper-elevation slopes facing northwest through east where there is a buried persistent weak layer. Avalanches may be 1-3 feet deep and over a hundred feet wide. All other slopes at the mid and upper elevations have a MODERATE avalanche danger.

Sensitive slabs of wind-drifted snow may be found on all aspects at the upper elevations and some exposed slopes at the mid-elevations.

Low

Moderate

Considerable

High

Extreme

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Weather and Snow

This Morning: Temperatures are 15-20° F and winds are from the west/northwest and have increased overnight, gusting into the upper 20's mph along exposed ridges above 9,000'

Today: Mostly sunny skies with increasing clouds this afternoon and temperatures ranging through the upper 20's and low 30's F. Winds will be from the west/northwest and gradually increasing through the day, with gusts of 20-35 mph along exposed ridges and summits.

This Weekend: Snow will begin this evening with snowfall and strong winds overnight and into Saturday morning. Snow showers may linger through Saturday and Sunday morning, with possible snowfall totals of 6-8".

Recent Avalanches

No avalanches were reported from the backcountry on Thursday.

We received an excellent observation from Cutler Ridge on Thursday which noted wind-affected terrain above 7,200'. Check recent observations and avalanche reports to get a better understanding of current conditions across the Ogden mountains.

Observations and Avalanches

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

The persistent weak layer (PWL) slowly continues to gain strength and it is getting more difficult to trigger avalanches. The type of terrain you are more likely to trigger an avalanche failing on the PWL is thinner snowpack areas such as:

- mid-elevations (particularly between 7,000 - 8,000') where there is simply less snow;

- steep, rocky areas;

- slopes that have already avalanched (aka "repeater" slopes) and have partially filled in.

If you trigger an avalanche in one of these thinner snowpack areas, it could propagate widely and up to 3 feet deep.

Trend: With more wind and snow forecast, increasing danger.

Type

Location

Likelihood

Size

Description

Recent winds from the northeast/east and today's increasing winds out of the west/northwest will create soft and hard slabs of wind-drifted snow at the mid and upper elevations. Some of these drifts may be sensitive if they form on top of sun crusts or weak snow at the surface. On mid and upper-elevation slopes facing northwest, north, or east, any avalanches involving fresh wind drifts may step down to the buried PWL.

Wind-affected terrain on the Ben Lomond Headwall (Dubovik photo)

Additional Information

The accident reports for the Porter Fork and Davenport Hill Accident have been completed. You can read them HERE.

At the Utah Avalanche Center, we strive to learn from every avalanche incident and share insights to help others avoid similar accidents. We have all experienced close calls and understand how easily mistakes can happen. Our goal with these reports is to provide valuable learning opportunities.

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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

Backcountry Emergency Procedures