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Forecast for the Moab Area Mountains

Dave Garcia
Issued by Dave Garcia on
Thursday morning, December 18, 2025
Most terrain has generally LOW danger. Small avalanches on isolated terrain features are possible. This time of year small avalanches can take you for a rough and rocky ride given our shallow early-season snowpack.
Conditions remain very thin, and rocks, stumps, and logs lurk below the surface everywhere. Exercise extreme caution getting around.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements

Geyser Pass Road Conditions: The road has been plowed, but the surface is snowpacked and slick. All wheel drive and good tires are recommended.

Grooming: The Geyser Pass road above the trailhead is now closed to wheeled vehicles. Grooming will begin this weekend.

Friday, January 30 - Saturday, January 31 - Moab Backcountry 101 Class - Our annual local backcountry avalanche class. Click here for information and registration. Moab and Monticello locals can use the discount code MOAB-LOCAL for a 10% discount.

Weather and Snow

24 Hour Snow: 0" 72 Hour Snow: 0" Season Total Snow: 21" Depth at Gold Basin: 14"

Winds on Pre-Laurel Peak: NW Strong Temp: 18° F

Weather

It is 18° F this morning under clear skies in Gold Basin. A high temperature of 31°F is expected today at 10,000 feet. The Pre-Laurel Peak wind station went down around midnight, but was showing strong winds out of the NW before it went down. Our anemometer on Abajo Peak shows winds in the extreme range, blowing 40 to 50 MPH with gusts up to 80 MPH! Winds will continue to blow out of the west today at 20 MPH with gusts between 30-35 MPH. The wind is forecast to calm down this weekend, but sunshine and warm temperatures remain, with mountain highs approaching 40°F once again.

General Conditions

Thin and variable best describe conditions. Sunshine and warm temperatures have taken a toll on solar aspects, and more and more bare ground is being exposed each day. Relentless winds from the northwest have hammered exposed slopes facing west through north, and many of these slopes above the tree line are scoured down to the rocks. I traveled in the north group on Tuesday, and found the snowpack to be faceted through on west through north aspects. I visited the south end of the range yesterday. On the south side around La Sal Pass, I found the height of snow to be less overall, and limited potential for good skiing. The middle (Gold Basin area) and north groups have more snow. It was evident in my travels yesterday that the November storms dropped more snow at higher elevations.

The Tuk-Peale group seen from the east side of the range. Snow cover is very low for this time of year.

Snowpack and Weather Data

NEW! Gold Basin webcam storm stake

Gold Basin Storm Stake (10,000')

Recent Avalanches
No recent activity has been observed. Click here for the complete avalanche database.
Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The overall danger is low, and normal caution is advised. It is important to remember that low danger and normal caution is not an “anything goes” situation. Continue to keep your guard up and look for any signs of snow instability. Evaluate snow and weather conditions as you travel. Slab distribution is spotty at best, but prudent backcountry travelers will continue to look for and avoid slabs over weak layers, especially in steep, radical terrain. Even a small avalanche could cause season-ending injuries due to our very shallow and rocky early-season snowpack.

Additional Information

It's never too early to start thinking about avalanches. Here are a few things to consider doing:

  • Learn online. We have over 5 hours of free online learning at the Know Before You Go website
  • Check out the upcoming in-person Know Before You Go events HERE
  • Sign up for an on-snow class
  • Check out the UAC's education progression HERE
  • Get your avalanche rescue gear ready for winter. Put fresh batteries in your transceiver and update the firmware. Inspect your shovel and probe. Get your airbag backpack ready by possibly doing a test deployment and updating the firmware if it is an electric version or getting your canister refilled if it's not electronic.
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.
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