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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Friday morning, December 18, 2020
Heads up... it's tricky out there. Dangerous avalanche conditions exist at upper elevations and our snowpack is teetering on the edge. Any slide triggered will break deeper and wider than you might expect.
In the wind zone, at and above treeline, HIGH avalanche danger exists. Human triggered avalanches are VERY LIKELY in steep, wind drifted terrain. Slopes facing the north half of the compass, and particularly those with an easterly component to its aspect should be avoided.
Mid elevations offer CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger on steep slopes facing the north half of the compass and human triggered avalanches are LIKELY.
In either case, it'll be touchy today and remember... shallow snow cover and low tide conditions barely hide natural obstacles like stumps and rocks, so, triggering even a small slide can lead to an instant buzz-kill and a season ending injury.
LOW avalanche danger is found on mid and low elevation slopes, particularly those facing south, but snow cover is super thin.
Low
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Learn how to read the forecast here
Avalanche Warning
AN AVALANCHE WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH, THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS AND THE BEAR RIVER RANGE, THE WESTERN UINTAS AND THE MANTI-SKYLINE PLATEAU. DRIFTING FROM STRONG WINDS HAS CREATED WIDESPREAD AREAS OF UNSTABLE SNOW.
DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS EXIST, ESPECIALLY AT MID AND UPPER ELEVATIONS. STAY OFF OF AND OUT FROM UNDERNEATH SLOPES STEEPER THAN 30 DEGREES.
Special Announcements
You know the program... roadside attractions are still an easy grab and just 'cause you can see it from the car doesn't mean it's safe or you're good to go. And remember, our front-line health care workers are maxed out. So, let's collectively think about our decisions and the consequences that may have on others.
Looking for ways to navigate through an unusual winter? Please visit this website with information about Responsible Winter Recreation by the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation
Weather and Snow
Nowcast-
Yesterday's storm was a bit of a bust for the eastern front, yet snow finally started stacking up late last night, and an evenly distributed 6"-8" across the range seems like a good bet. As the storm exits the region, light snow showers fall under mostly cloudy skies. Northwest winds are light, generally blowing less than 20 mph along the high ridges, and temperatures are in the single digits. Our recent storm is a welcome sight and riding conditions are slowly improving. However, total snow depths throughout the range average just about two feet in depth, so the Uinta's are still quite thin and travel is sorta limited to road rides and grassy slopes.
Forecast-
Lingering snow showers hang over the area and clouds thin out as the day wares on. High temperatures climb into the teens, northwest winds blow into 20's and 30's along the high peaks, and overnight lows crash to near zero.
A weak weather disturbance crosses far northern Utah later tonight, bringing increased cloud cover to the area and a few flurries.
Futurecast-
Drying out over the weekend into early next week with partly cloudy skies on tap. A shot of unusually cold air with little moisture slides through the state Tuesday.
Looking for real-time temps, snow, or wind?
Click here and then on the "western Uinta" tab for western Uinta specific, weather station network.
Recent Avalanches
My expression in the screen grab above from Tuesday, reflects the obvious.... our snowpack is coming to life with cracking, spider-webbing, and collapsing a common theme.
To view trip reports and recent avalanche activity, simply click here.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Andy and I were near Mill Hollow Wednesday and found a very tender and reactive snowpack.
The past few days of field work confirmed our suspicions... we've got a buried and preserved layer of weak, faceted snow and it's reactive to our snowpit tests and more importantly, to our additional weight. And that was all before yesterday's storm! So, here's the setup. The current snowpack structure mirrors an upside-down cake... think, stronger snow on weaker snow. This type of layering leads to tricky avalanche conditions, where we can trigger slides from a distance or from adjacent slopes, and where we can pull the entire log pile down on top of us. And once triggered, today's avalanches may break wider and deeper than you might expect.
But you don't have to ride blind... so, look for and listen to signs of unstable snow like whoomping sounds and sudden collapses of the snowpack or shooting cracks in front of your skis, board, or sled. And of course the biggest clue of all... recent avalanches, especially on the same types of slopes you wanna ride on.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
A bump in winds early Thursday created a fresh round of drifts that are now buried with light density snow. Now that they're camouflaged, they're gonna be hard to detect. Found mostly on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges, you'll also want to be on the lookout for cross-loaded terrain like chutes and gullies. In either case, it's an easy and mostly manageable avalanche problem to avoid by simply steering clear of any fat, rounded piece of snow, particularly if it sounds hollow like a drum. And remember... our snowpack is super shallow and triggering even a small slide can take you for a body-bruising ride through rocks and stumps barely hidden under the thin snowpack.
Additional Information
A new snow study site near Camp Steiner is up and running! Click HERE real-time snow fall, total snow depth, and current temperatures. This data fills in a big black hole of snow information near Mirror Lake. I'd like to give a big shout out to Sean and Jesse from the NWS along with Ted Scroggin, our main man in the Uinta's... the entire crew is featured in the viddy above.
I'll update this forecast by 7:00 AM tomorrow, Saturday December 19th.
Your observations are import, so please let me know what you're seeing... click HERE and contribute to this amazing community based program
Information on outdoor recreation - The State of Utah created this webpage with information about recreating on both state and federal public lands during the current health crisis.
Skiing and riding at closed ski resorts - Some resorts allow access now, and some do not. Please check HERE for the latest info on ski area access.
New to the backcountry (including riding at closed resorts) - Watch the award-winning, 15 minute Know Before You Go video, or take the 5-part, free online-learning series.
General Announcements
If you see or trigger an avalanche or just wanna let me know what you're seeing you can reach me directly at 801-231-2170 or [email protected]
The information in this forecast is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content.
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