UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik for
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
The majority of terrain on the Skyline has a MODERATE danger rating today.
The danger rating is CONSIDERABLE in the upper elevation north through east facing terrain.
Pockety human triggered avalanches are possible in upper elevation steep slopes that face north through east ESPECIALLY WHERE THE WIND HAS DRIFTED SNOW.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements
The Utah Avalanche Center, Snow Big Deal and Sanpete County Search and Rescue will be hosting a FREE AVALANCHE BEACON TRAINING on Saturday, Jan 21 from 9am to 1pm at the north Skyline Drive parking lot at the top of Fairview Canyon. Come by anytime between 9 and 1 and we will spend about a half hour with you teaching you how to properly use your avalanche beacon, shovel and probe.
Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: Despite numerous periods of snowfall over the last 24 hours, snow depths only increased by a few inches overall. The wind has not been all that strong but there's been enough to form drifts along the higher terrain. It's been from the southwest and we're seeing a little increase in speeds this morning. Temperatures have been in the upper teens to mid 20s.
Mountain Weather: The last half of this storm is producing less snow than I anticipated. We'll see the chance for snow showers during the day becoming more likely later this afternoon. We might pick up another few inches overnight. Wind from the south will slow in speed and then switch and will be from the west. Temperatures will be around 20. There's a few chances for snow over the next few days but nothing too exciting. Long term, the weather pattern looks less active for the next couple of weeks. There are storms that may move through but they don't look like they'll bring the amounts of snow that we've been seeing recently.
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Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
During fieldwork on Monday, riding conditions felt deep. I did not find the new snow to be very sensitive. It was not cracking when I was hitting small steep test slopes. I found a few drifts that I tried to provoke and they did not crack either. Everything is looking pretty good BUT, we've had a large amount of new snow and there was enough wind to transport it and deposit it into drifts and slabs in scattered areas. These are the areas of concern today. Avoid obvious pillows, drifts and cornices along the higher exposed terrain and you probably won't have any trouble today. Overall, it looks like the snowpack is settling into a stable condition.
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.