SALT LAKE CITY — As the Utah Avalanche Center put it, be careful what you wish for when hoping and praying for heavy snow to fall along the Wasatch Front. While the snow dump received over the weekend is great news for skiers and snowboarders, it has also created unsafe avalanche conditions.
On Monday, the UAC declared all mountain elevations near Ogden to be under Considerable avalanche danger, bringing nearly the entire Wasatch Front under those conditions.
Jan 8, 2024 - Full blown dangerous CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger at all mountain elevations in Ogden; just areas of CONSIDERABLE up high in SLC mtns. https://t.co/T3rY14NEcg
— UtahAvalancheCenter (@UACwasatch) January 8, 2024
Salt Lake and Ogden, along with Skyline and Moab, are under Considerable avalanche warnings.
A natural slab avalanche approximately 2,500 feet wide and 2 feet deep was observed in the Bailey Spring area on Sunday. The UAC also received a report that an avalanche had run onto the road along the North Ogden Divide.
Another avalanche was reported Saturday in Mill Creek Canyon at an elevation of 9,100 feet. Although relatively small at 60 feet wide, the skier who triggered it said the avalanche briefly carried him about 20 feet down the slope.
The dangers can increase as more snow is expected to move into northern Utah beginning Tuesday evening. In addition, the UAC warns that conditions are good for avalanches at low elevations, not just high up on the mountains.
