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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon for
Thursday, November 10, 2022
The recent series of storms doubled our snowpack and changed the landscape-
Very strong winds during the storm built fresh drifts along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. Problem is... they're camouflaged, covered over with yesterday's fresh storm snow. So today, step out cautiously and continue practicing safe travel by avoiding steep, upper elevation terrain, especially slopes facing the north half of the compass. And remember... any avalanche triggered today can result in a season ending, traumatic injury.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
Huge thanks to everyone who presented, participated, and joined us for PROSAW and USAW. Great gigs that keep us sharp and in tune with staying on top of The Greatest Snow on Earth.
Keep your avy savvy groove goin'-
It's never to early to start thinking about avalanches. A few things to consider doing:
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
It was a great run, but now our recent series of storms is headed east and in its wake we'll see clearing skies and cold temperatures.
Nowcast- The second wave of snow began falling late yesterday afternoon, adding an additional 8" of snow, bringing storm totals to just about 15" of snow with 1.5" H2O across the range. Under mostly cloudy skies, westerly winds blow in the 20's and 30's along the high ridges. Cold air filtered into the region overnight and temperatures cratered into the single digits and low teens where they register early this morning. Riding and turning conditions drastically improved with our latest round of snow, but I'd dip my toe in the water before diving in headfirst. Maybe consider a few turns on a grassy meadow or a quick rip with the sled on a smooth, rock free road.
Forecast- A few snow showers linger over the region, but in general, the storm is done. Look for clearing skies as the day wares on with temperatures clawing to get out of the single digits. West and northwest winds blow in the 20's and 30's along the high ridges.
Furturecast- Clear and cold through the weekend.

Recent Avalanches
No recent avy activity to report. Trip reports are found HERE
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Slightly more deceptive than the past few days, both new and old drifts are hidden under fresh snow. Lofty Lake Peak (11,186') depicts the tail end of our big storm.
Travel is pretty limited to upper elevation terrain. But here's the problem... that's exactly where today's hazard exists, especially on steep wind drifted slopes facing the north half of the compass. Today's avy conditions are on the verge of becoming tricky as the snow feels solid underneath our skis, board or sled. And while most of our snowpack is welded in place, I bet a few fresh wind drifts react to our additional weight. Best bet for today is avoiding any fat, rounded pillow of snow, especially if it sounds hollow like a drum. Once triggered, today's avalanches have the potential to break deeper and wider than you might expect. Remember, even a small wind drift can easily knock you off your feet and slam you into a group of trees or over a cliff band.
Additional Information
Mirror Lake Highway is closed, but early season roadside attractions like Wolf Creek Bowl along Highway 35 remain likely suspects as roadside, park n' ride grabs. Here's the deal... just 'cause you can see it from the road, that doesn't necessarily mean it's safe and good to go.
And we've been super busy this summer upgrading the western Uinta weather station network and this real-time info is found HERE (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 04:06 on Thursday November 10th, this information expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Friday November 11th.
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.