SALT LAKE CITY — Despite being warned numerous times ahead of this week's storms that brought large amounts of snow to the area, several human-caused avalanches have been reported in Utah over the last 24 hours.
According to the Utah Avalanche Center, 17 avalanches were reported on Wednesday, with 8 considered to be caused by either a skier or someone on a snowmobile.
No injuries were reported in connection to the avalanches.
Many of Utah's ski resorts were swarmed with people on Wednesday after an overnight storm dumped feet of fresh powder onto the slopes. A few of the resorts were forced to close early out of caution for the safety of the heavy crowds.
In the days leading up to this week's storms that finally brought significant snowfall totals to the snow-starved region, officials had warned people of avalanche dangers.
'Powder Alert!' Ski resorts bask in much-needed snowfall:
"The incoming storm will overload widespread fragile layers of weak, faceted snow that formed during the mid-winter dry spell. This setup is well known for producing dangerous, unpredictable avalanches that can be triggered remotely and break much wider and larger than expected," the center wrote earlier in the week.
Of the 18 reported avalanches on Wednesday, over half (10) were located in the Salt Lake area, where popular ski resorts were inundated with guests. The others occurred in the Logan region and Uinta Mountains.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office issued its own warning late Wednesday, warning people heading into the mountain areas about avalanches, saying the sudden weather changes in the Cottonwood canyons had "created instability in the backcountry.:
“This winter has created layers within the snowpack that can be unpredictable,” said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera. “We want people to enjoy the Cottonwood Canyons, but safety must come first. When conditions are unstable, the smartest decision may be to avoid backcountry recreation altogether.”
The sheriff's office advised those heading into the backcountry to carry the proper avalanche gear, such as a beacon, shovel and probe, and to check weather conditions before heading out.
