Salt Lake avalanche forecast: Low danger on March 30

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Avalanche Center's Salt Lake avalanche forecast noted lower danger on Mar. 30, as "normal caution" was recommended by forecasters. In the Salt Lake forecast, UAC Forecaster Trent Meisenheimer wrote that backcountry users may come upon wind-drifted snow, new snow sluffs, wet snow, and cornices. Additionally, naturally occurring glide avalanches were noted. "These natural avalanches will release the entire season's snowpack and can occur anytime," Meisenheimer wrote. Glide avalanches occur when a slope's entire snowpack slides downhill, per Avalanche.org. Warning signs include large, deep cracks, known as glide cracks. They're often visible across a slope. Glide-prone terrain is in Stairs Gulch, Broads Fork, Mill B South, and Main Porter. Each of the areas is in Big Cottonwood Canyon. According to Avalanche.org, glide avalanches only happen on specific slopes. Identifying them is important to remain safe during backcountry recreation. A naturally occurring glide avalanche was recently reported to UAC by the Utah Department of Transportation. The report can be found on UAC's website.

How does the March 30 Salt Lake avalanche forecast compare to last week?

According to UAC's Week in Review, Salt Lake avalanche danger forecasts oscillated between considerable and moderate for much of last week. Between Mar. 21 and 22, a storm brought new snow into the Salt Lake region. Avalanche danger was rated as moderate as forecasters warned of wind-drifted snow and wet avalanches. Natural and human-triggered avalanches have been reported recently. As the week continued, temperatures warmed. UAC Forecaster Nikki Champion wrote that conditions shifted beginning on Mar. 24, when heating from sunlight and lack of overnight refreezing led to increased instability. Strong winds at higher elevations also contributed to danger forecasts, according to Champion.

Avalanche danger in other regions

The Logan, Ogden, and Provo forecasts for Mar. 30 echoed the Salt Lake avalanche forecast, noting that there is always risk when traveling in the backcountry. Moderate danger was forecast in the Uintas and Moab regions. "Remember, reduced avalanche danger does not mean no danger," Forecaster Andrew Nassetta wrote in the Uintas report.

Uintas

The main avalanche problem in the Uintas was noted as wind-drifted snow. Nassetta noted that recent winds were just strong enough to move fresh snow into drifts. The forecaster recommended keeping an eye out for "fat, rounded pillows of snow." They may appear textured or sound hollow and should be avoided. Persistent weak layer was the second problem in the Uintas. According to Nassetta, experts are growing confident the layers are stabilizing. However, they still pose a risk. They're most likely on steep, rocky slopes covered in shallow snowpack. "This problem exists in a small and isolated, or pockety, portion of our terrain and is easily avoidable," wrote Nassetta.

Moab

Forecaster Eric Trenbeth authored the Mar. 30 report, listing persistent weak layer as the number one problem for the area. "The likelihood for triggering an avalanche on a persistent weak layer has decreased significantly, particularly on west, and lower elevation northerly aspects, but layers of cold, dry faceted snow still remain on steep, northerly aspects near treeline, and in some areas above," wrote Trenbeth.

Skyline

The Skyline region was rated considerable, with the most danger being concentrated on the north, northeast, and east-facing aspects above 9,500 feet. Similar to the Moab region, the number one avalanche problem was listed as a persistent weak layer. Brett Kobernik, the avalanche forecaster who authored the report, wrote that new snow won't alter avalanche danger too drastically. The last time temperatures rose, the snow softened significantly. Then, it refroze, according to Kobernik. He urged mindfulness in travel planning, writing "There is still a chance to trigger a dangerous avalanche and there's no good way to determine which slope will release and which one won't." Lower slopes in the Skyline region were rated as less dangerous. For the latest information on Utah avalanche conditions, visit the Utah Avalanche Center's website.

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