Forecast for the Abajos Area Mountains

Eric Trenbeath
Issued by Eric Trenbeath for
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Special Announcements
We will not be issuing daily forecasts with danger ratings this season. We simply do not have enough information for this level of detail. We will be keeping an eye on the snowpack and will post a detatiled summary of conditions on Saturday mornings. Mid-week updates will be provided as weather conditions dictate.
Join us for the 1st Annual UAC Moab/LUNA Winter Kickoff Party on Saturday, Dec 10 at the MARC. The event will be from 7-9 PM. Get your tickets here.
Join the Utah Avalanche Center and the Division of Outdoor Recreation to celebrate the Fourth Annual Avalanche Awareness Week, from December 4 - December 11. Click HERE to view a full list of events throughout the state.
Weather and Snow
A storm system currently off the Pacifc Northwest Coast will bring snow to our area on Monday.
NWS Forecast for the Abajo Mountains
Snow totals and temps at Buckboard Flat (8924')
Snow totals and temps at Camp Jackson (8858')

Snowpack Summary and General Conditions
Conditions remain thin though there is getting to be enough snow for tentative backcountry riding. Considerably more snow exists on the north side of the range with between 2'-3' of snow in favored areas up around North Creek Pass. South facing slopes are not blown clean but there is still plenty of grass sticking out. A poor snowpack structure has developed. Early season snow has become weak and sugary, while more recent snow has formed a dense slab on top, particularly in wind drifted areas. In most cases, snowcover is still a little too thin to access avalanche terrain, but all steep, northerly facing slopes that have enough snow to ride are suspect, and human triggered avalanches are possible in these areas. For more on the current state of the snowpack, see the video below.
Additional Information
If you are getting out in the backcountry, we'd love to hear what you're seeing. Please submit observations here. You can also send an email to [email protected] or give me a call with anything noteworthy, especially avalanches! 801-647-8896
General Announcements
This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.