KSL file photo
The Utah Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning on Sunday morning, cautioning Utahans to avoid the state’s northern mountain ranges.
“We expect rising temperatures, dense, heavy snow and strong winds will overload a weak snowpack,” the center wrote in a press release. “Both natural and human triggered avalanches are likely, including lower elevation terrain.”
The warning is specifically for the Bear River Range, the Wasatch Range and the Western Uinta Mountains. Dangerous avalanche conditions are rising on many slopes in the backcountry, the center warned, with many areas already designated as “high danger.”
Only those with expert skills to identify and avoid avalanche terrain should travel in the backcountry, the center wrote. Steep, wind drifted slopes and the areas beneath them should be avoided, as avalanches can be triggered from a distance and from below.
Up-to-date avalanche danger information is available on the Utah Avalanche Center’s website.