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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon for
Wednesday, November 18, 2015

While not widespread, pockets of MODERATE danger exist on steep, wind drifted terrain at and above treeline. Human triggered avalanches are possible, especially on slopes facing the north half of the compass and particularly those that have an easterly component to their aspect. Remember- even a short ride in a shallow avalanche could leave you with bumps, bruises, or broken bones.

Wind sheltered terrain offers a LOW avalanche danger.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow

Skies are mostly cloudy and temperatures in the mid teens and low 20's. The weekend storm kicked in late in game, delivering 8"-10" of very light density snow on the North Slope with about half that amount stacking up the further south you travel. Unfortunately, as the storm exited the state and set its sights on Denver, west-northwest winds increased into the 30's late last night, with gusts in the upper 40's along the high peaks early this morning. Early season conditions abound, and with only 12"-18" of total snow on the ground, riding and turning is limited to rock free meadows and roads.

Recent Avalanches

No recent avalanche activity to report, but we are posting observations from the backcountry on a daily basis now. See or trigger an avalanche? Shooting cracks? Hear a collapse? It's simple. Go here to fill out an observation.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Monday's storm produced a nice shot of ultra-light snow, but the spoiler is that winds have been cranking along the high ridges. Of course, it doesn't take much to blow all the light density storm snow around and form drifts sensitive to the additional weight of a rider. Once triggered, today's avalanches will be big enough to show you who's boss, because they'll have the potential to break to weak, sugary snow near the ground, resulting in a larger slide than you might expect.The avalanche danger isn't widespread and most likely terrain to trigger a slide today is limited to slopes at and above treeline. Steep, windloaded, upper elevation terrain, facing the north half of the compass is a likely suspect. Remember- triggering even a small slide right now could result in a season ending injury if you slam into a rock or stump lurking beneath this shallow facade of white.

Additional Information

A storm system brushes the northern half of the state and we should see unsettled conditions with a little light snow. Big news is gonna be the gusty ridgetop winds which will continue blowing in the 30's and 40's with gusts in the 60's and 70's along the high ridges. High temperatures rise into the mid 20's and dip into the teens overnight. Winds should relax later today, and the unsettled pattern remains in place through the end of the week. A nice weekend is on tap with no big storms in sight.

General Announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can call me directly at 801-231-2170, email [email protected], or email by clicking HERE

This is a great time of year to schedule a free avalanche awareness presentation for your group or club. You can contact me at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]

The information in this advisory is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but I will update this advisory by 7:00 AM on Saturday November 21st.