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Forecast for the Abajos Area Mountains

Eric Trenbeath
Issued by Eric Trenbeath for
Friday, January 18, 2019
DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS WILL EXIST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS! The avalanche danger is HIGH today as new snow and wind drifted are dangerously overloading a fragile snowpack. Natural and human triggered avalanches breaking 2'-4' deep are likely on steep slopes that face W-N-E. Avalanches within the most recent snow are possible on all aspects. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended. Backcountry travelers need to possess excellent route finding skills and know how to stay off of, and out from under, steep, avalanche prone terrain.
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Learn how to read the forecast here
Avalanche Warning
THE FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER IN MOAB HAS ISSUED A BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WARNING.
* TIMING... 6 AM MST FRIDAY THROUGH 6 AM MST SATURDAY.
* AFFECTED AREA...FOR THE LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH
* AVALANCHE DANGER...THE AVALANCHE DANGER HAS RISEN TO HIGH.
* REASON/IMPACTS...RECENT HEAVY SNOW COMBINED WITH WIND HAS CREATED WIDESPREAD AREAS OF UNSTABLE SNOW AND DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS. BOTH HUMAN TRIGGERED AND NATURAL AVALANCHES ARE LIKELY. STAY OFF OF AND OUT FROM UNDER SLOPES STEEPER THAN 30 DEGREES. AVOID TRAVEL IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN. CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN DANGEROUS THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
Special Announcements
We will be offering a Backcountry 101 avalanche course on Feb 8, 9. It's a great way to up your avalanche knowledge with both classroom, and hands on field instruction. Click here for more details and to register.
The new UAC IOS mobile app is now available on the app store. Check out the new "My Weather" feature.
Check out the new free online avalanche course series developed by the Utah Avalanche Center. This is a great way to refresh your skills or prepare you for a Backcountry 101 or Level 1 class.
Weather and Snow
Things are starting ot clear out a bit. Photo courtesy Kevin Dressel webcam.
The mountains picked up another 4"-6" of new snow overnight bringing totals since Wednesday up to around 18".
Moderate to strong, gusty SW winds blew most of the day yesterday and into last night. They shifted to the WNW early this morning and are averaging 20-25 mph along ridge tops with gusts into the 30's. Skies should clear out today and we'll continue to see moderate but blustery NW winds. High temps will be in the low 20's.
I'll be getting down today to have a good look around and will update this forecast with more detailed info on Saturday.
Snow totals at Buckboard Flat (8924')
Snow totals at Camp Jackson (8858')
Wind, temperature, and humidity on Abajo Peak (11,000')
National Weather Service point forecast.
Recent Avalanches
The Abajo Mountains experienced a significant round of both human triggered and natural avalanche activity last week. Expect another round this week as new snow accumulates.
General Announcements
Your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche observations HERE. You can also call me at 801-647-8896, or send me an email: [email protected].
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This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
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