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Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Tuesday morning, December 10, 2024
A small amount of new snow and a little wind has increased the avalanche danger to MODERATE.
Pockets of wind drifted snow along the higher ridgelines (especially east facing slopes) may crack out today if provoked.
Watch for cracking within the new snow which indicates unstable conditions.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: Snow accumulations from yesterday's storm were on the high end of what I was expecting. Most areas picked up 3 to 4 inches. Ephriam Canyon did surprisingly well with 9 inches reported at GBRC Meadows Snotel. I would think there was an error in this reading but that weather station is pretty reliable and also Ephraim Canyon does well in a cold northwest flow, which is what the event was. Temperatures have dropped to around 10˚F. Wind from the northwest has increased a bit again. You'll probably see some drifting in the higher terrain.
Mountain Weather: There's a little lingering moisture from the storm but skies should mostly clear out during the day. Temperatures will rebound to around 20˚F. Wind from the northwest looks slightly breezy. It'll probably feel a little annoying in the higher, more exposed terrain. There is another small storm shaping up for Thursday into Friday that might bring some light accumulations. Longer term, it doesn't look like total doom and gloom. I see a couple more disturbances next week and possibly a better system around Christmas.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Your biggest concern today is areas where the wind has deposited the new snow and formed drifts. These drifts may be sensitive to people today. The most likely places to find these are going to be on the more east facing slopes right near the ridges. That said, keep an eye out for scattered drifts on all aspects in the higher terrain. Out of wind drifted terrain, there won't be much avalanche danger.
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.