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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon for
Monday, November 7, 2022
A powerful winter storm is on tap... expect changing avalanche conditions and rising danger as the storm evolves-
Last nights very strong winds whip up a fresh round of drifts along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. Today you'll want to avoid steep terrain facing the north half of the compass with these characteristics, especially slopes with an easterly component to its aspect. 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
SAVE THE DATE and TAKE A DATE... SEE YOU WEDNESDAY NIGHT!
Grab your riding posse and sign up for the 15th Annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW). You've got a couple days left to join us for an evening of solid avy education, brought to you by a remarkable group of presenters, all delivered virtually to the comfort of your own home... November 9th. Sign up and get more info HERE.
Tickets available at the door for today's Professional and Ski Patrol Snow and Avalanche Workshop (PROSAW). More info HERE.
Get your avy savvy groove goin'-
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
A colorful map from our good friends at the National Weather Service depicts are very active couple of days.
Nowcast- A trace to a couple traces of snow fell overnight and thick clouds drape our mountains this morning, keeping a lid on temperatures, which currently register in the upper 20's and low 30's. Southerly winds blast the ridges clocking in at 30-50 mph. Total snow depths average 18"-24"... just enough coverage for a few turns on a grassy meadow or a quick rip with the sled on a smooth, rock free road.
Forecast- Arriving later today, an Atmospheric River sets its sights on the region and it's be warm, wet, and windy. Southerly winds crank in the 50's and 60's and high temperatures don't vary much from where we're at this morning. Off and on snow showers throughout the day lead to more steady snowfall by about sunset.
Furturecast- The coveyer belt of moisture kicks into gear late Tuesday and lingers through early Thursday. A couple feet of snow with a few inches of water seems like a good bet.
Micheal J stomped around in the Wolf Creek zone yesterday and snagged this pit profile which is quite representative of much of the range.
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
Dense surface snow is no match for the strong ridgetop winds overnight and this morning. Windy Peak (10,662') clearly depicts the story along the high ridges.
Travel is pretty limited to upper elevation terrain. And the problem is... that's exactly where today's hazard exists, especially on steep wind drifted slopes facing the north half of the compass. While most of our snowpack feels shrink-wrapped and 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
Of course, early season roadside attractions like Murdock Bowl off the Mirror Lake Highway or Wolf Creek Bowl along Highway 35 become 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 03:01 on Monday November 7th, 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.
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