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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Tuesday morning, January 24, 2023
Slightly more complicated, but straight-forward and easy to avoid none-the-less...
MODERATE avalanche danger is found on steep, upper elevation leeward slopes, especially in the wind zone at and above treeline. Fresh wind drifts reactive to our additional weight are POSSIBLE, particularly on slopes with a south component to their aspect.
Generally LOW avalanche danger is found on all mid and lower elevation slopes.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
I wanna thank everyone, especially Quinn Graves, for taking the time out of their busy lives to join me last night for our annual State of the Snowpack prezo hosted in partnership with Park City Pro Ski Patrol Association. The turnout was super solid, the energy amazing, and the vibe... one of community involvement and caring. Thanks for inviting me in your world... what a blast!
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- Last nights weak brush-by came and went whilst we slept, but had enough gusto to stack up an inch or two of low density snow across the range. Current temperatures are cold, but we're crepping our way out of the deep freeze and hover in the single digits and low teens. Northerly winds blowing in the 20's are more than just a nuisance, they're adding windchill that registers to -16 degrees along the ridges. The powder party is over in our big, open alpine terrain, as there is a bit of wind damage. However, don't let your heart be troubled... lose some elevation, seek out wind sheltered terrain, and you'll be rewarded with soft, creamy snow.
Forecast- Look for partly cloudy skies with high temperatures barely clawing their way into the low teens. North and northwest winds continue blowing in the 20's throughout the day, bumping into the 40's late this afternoon.
Futurecast- A northwest flow keeps weak storms in the queue with continued cold air and a few scattered snow showers continuing through midweek.

Huge thanks for all the great obs streaming in from the eastern front. Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.
Recent Avalanches
Saturday, I found a shallow wind drift or two in the north half of the range, while John Climaco found similar wind loading patterns on the south half of the range near Currant Creek. No other significant avy activity to report. But a slew of Uinta avy obs are found HERE.
Snow-Pro, mentor to countless avalanche professionals, all around amazing person, and always keen to rally... Bill Nalli, has a keen eye for all things avalanche and spotted a rather significant, week old slide in Upper Moffit Basin. Deets are found HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Windy Peak (10,662') data dump shows winds blowing from the east, northeast, north, and northwest, loading a variety of slopes on the south half of the compass.
There's no shortage of snow available to blow around and recent winds have no problem whipping up a fresh round of shallow drifts sensitive to our additional weight. Found on upper elevation leeward slopes, and cross-loaded in chutes and gullies all over the compass, today's drifts might break slightly deeper than you'd expect, but they're manageable by avoidance... lose a little elevation, you lose the wind and you lose the problem.

Additional Information
Colossal water numbers and Herculean snowpack depths are helping the pack turn the corner. This strongly aligns with reasoning to pull the plug on our problem child, the Persistent Weak Layer, which has plagued us since late November... whew!
Weather stations-
And... rime events have severely crippled the Uinta weather station network. I'm working to get it back up and running, but a few stations are found HERE (click weather stations, and then on the Western Uinta tab)
Observations-
Your observations are important, so please let me know what you're seeing... click HERE and contribute to this amazing community-based program
General Announcements
Issued at 03:23 on Tuesday January 24th, this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Wednesday January 25th, 2023.
Before it gets too crazy, now is the time to book an avalanche awareness presentation for your group, club, or posse. You can reach Craig directly at 801-231-2170 or [email protected].

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.