Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon for
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Heads up... a good looking storm is headed our way and avalanche danger ramps up as the storm materializes.
The old snow surface is tired and a bit worn out, but strong winds overnight probably found enough snow to blow around, forming a fresh drift or two that'll react to our additional weight. As the forecast storm evolves later today and tonight, drifts become deeper and more widespread and begin packing a punch once they're triggered. So, if your travels take you into the high country for one last hike before winter really gets going, we'll definitely want to recalibrate our brains and our travel plans accordingly. Avoid stomping around on steep, upper elevation, wind drifted slopes, especially those facing the north half of the compass. Remember... even a small wind drift can pack a hefty punch and knock you into a group of trees or rake you through a rock band. And yes... that'll instantly ruin your day.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
SAVE THE DATE and TAKE A DATE-
Grab your riding posse and sign up for the 15th Annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW). It's two nights of solid avy education, delivered by a remarkable group of presenters, all delivered virtually to the comfort of your own home... November 2nd and 9th. Sign up and get more info for the first session HERE and the second session HERE.
The Avalanche Professional and Ski Patrol Snow and Avalanche Workshop (PROSAW) will be during the day of November 7th. Sign up and get more info HERE.
Additional Training Opportunities-
It's never to early to start thinking about avalanches. A few things to consider doing:
Attend USAW and learn more about avalanches and decision making.
Sign up for an avalanche class.
Take the online courses listed on the KBYG website (Develop skills -> Online Learning).
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 update the firmware if it is an electric version.
Weather and Snow
The graphic above lays out the timeline for our next storm
Nowcast- Southerly winds began ramping up late last night and continue to blow in the 20's and 30's early this morning. Clouds filter into the region, keeping temperatures mild and registering in the upper 20's.
Forecast- The warm before the storm... look for partly cloudy skies, southerly winds blowing into the 30's and 40's, and high temperatures climbing to 40 degrees. A cold front sweeps through the state tonight delivering a solid shot of snow that should stack up a foot or so by late Wednesday.
Furturecast- Snow showers linger into Thursday morning with much colder temperatures on tap. Friday looks like a break in the action, before another round of snow develops for the weekend.
Current snow depths in upper elevation terrain average just about a foot in depth. A bit vertically challenged, but the pack's got encouraging structure and solid body, which is a good look for this time of year.
On Sunday, Andy got some eyes on the Wolf Creek zone which is white from far... but far from white.
There's barely enough snow to move around on, but early season roadside attractions like Murdock Bowl off the Mirror Lake Highway or Wolf Creek Bowl along Highway 35 and Wolf Creek Pass are easy grabs... right? Of course they are... that's what makes them so appealing! Even though it might not seem like there's enough snow to avalanche, today you'll want to avoid any steep, wind drifted slope. And remember- even a small wind drift packs enough punch to knock you off your feet and may result in a season ending injury if you slam into a stump, rock, or deadfall barely hidden under the shallow snow.

Recent Avalanches
No recent avy activity to report
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Additional Information
Yup, we've been super busy this summer upgrading the western Uinta weather station network and this real-time info is found HERE (there's some early season hoops to jump through, but please be patient with the prompts, click weather stations, and then on Western Uinta tab)
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 03:53 on Tuesday November 1st, this information expires 24 hours after the date and time posted.
I will update this forecast as conditions change and then once winter kicks into gear you can expect the usual daily forecasts issued by 07:00... or perhaps earlier :)
Before it gets too crazy, now is the time to book an avalanche awareness presentation for your group, club, or posse. You can reach me 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.