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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Saturday morning, January 28, 2023
Winds and snow bumped the hazard up a notch-
CONSIDERABLE 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 LIKELY, especially on slopes with an easterly component to its aspect. Recent winds penetrated mid elevation terrain where you'll find MODERATE avalanche danger with human triggered avalanches POSSIBLE on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. Generally LOW avalanche danger is found on all lower elevation shady slopes and most wind sheltered terrain facing the south half of the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- Yesterday's shot of moisture had its sights set on the North Slope, delivering 6" of low density snow whilst the south half of the range from Trail Lake to Daniels, stacks up half that amount. In either case, storminess continues churning away over the eastern front and light snow continues falling early this morning. We're out of the deep freeze for the moment as temperatures register in the teens and low 20's. Westerly winds have calmed down somewhat since yesterdays onslaught and currently blow 15-25 mph along the high peaks. Fresh snow has greatly improved the riding and turning conditions as the snowpack seeks to retain its five star rating.... (three on the Michelin scale :)
Forecast- Scattered snow showers linger over the region this morning and we stack up a couple more inches of snow before the storm winds down. Westerly winds blow in the 30's near the peaks while high temperatures climb to near 20 degrees with overnight lows dipping into the teens.
Futurecast- Another shot of snow develops early Sunday morning and lingers into Monday. An additional 5"-10" looks like a good bet. Clear and very cold going forward into midweek.
Ted was on the east side of the range in the Mill Creek zone Thursday and reports excellent riding conditions and phenomenal coverage. His trip report is found HERE.
Huge thanks for all the great obs streaming in from the eastern front. Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.
Recent Avalanches
Yesterday we found touchy fresh drifts on steep, leeward slopes. No other significant recent avalanche activity to report. However, if ya wanna geek out, click HERE to track this years slide activity throughout the range.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
A 24 hour data dump from Windy Peak (10,662') clearly show the evolution of our recent storm
The one-two combo of storm snow and wind created very sensitive drifts reactive to my additional weight yesterday. I don't think today's drifts are gonna be quite as touchy today, but could catch you by surprise none-the-less, breaking deeper and wider than you might expect. Found on mid and upper elevation leeward slopes facing the north half of the compass and cross-loaded in chutes and gullies, both old and newly formed drifts are easy to navigate around by avoidance... simply 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. I've been taking advantage of a predictable snowpack, stepping into bigger terrain, and enjoying spectacular views... what a treat!
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 03:37 on Saturday January 28th, this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Sunday January 29th, 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.
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