Heavy snowfall and strong winds are expected to rapidly increase avalanche danger across northern, central and southwestern Utah beginning Tuesday and continuing through the week, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.
Forecasters at the center expect dangerous and complex avalanche conditions to develop on many slopes, with large natural and human-triggered avalanches likely.
The incoming storm will overload widespread fragile layers of weak, faceted snow that formed during the mid-winter dry spell. The center said this setup is well known for producing dangerous, unpredictable avalanches that can be triggered remotely and break much wider and larger than expected. Even though low elevations remain mostly bare, avalanches will occur where snow exists at higher elevations.
People should avoid traveling in avalanche terrain, the organization said, and urged anyone heading into the mountains to stay informed by checking the latest avalanche forecast at utahavalanchecenter.org.
Other tips the organization provided included the following:
- As avalanche danger rises, avoid being on, under or near slopes steeper than 30 degrees.
- Do not travel in the backcountry alone. Make sure everyone in your group carries working avalanche rescue gear, including a transceiver, probe and shovel, and knows how to use it.
- Skiers and riders leaving resort boundaries are entering the backcountry and may immediately be in avalanche-prone terrain.
- Even after the storm ends and skies clear, persistent layers of unstable snow will linger, creating conditions where large avalanches remain possible.