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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Saturday morning, December 25, 2021
Heads up... it's the real deal. Please think about your terrain choices and the potentially deadly consequences of triggering an avalanche today-
Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist near and above treeline in the Uinta Mountains where the avalanche danger is HIGH. Both natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely. Very dense, heavy snow combined with strong winds has overloaded a fragile snowpack. Below treeline, human triggered avalanches are likely, and the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE.
Here's your exit strategy- there's plenty of safe, low angle terrain in the Uinta Mountains. But the key to avoiding avalanches is to avoid being on, under, or anywhere near slopes steeper than 30 degrees, especially those facing the north half of the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Avalanche Warning
AN AVALANCHE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF MUCH OF THE STATE OF UTAH, INCLUDING THE WASATCH RANGE...BEAR RIVER RANGE...UINTA MOUNTAINS...THE MANTI-SKYLINE...THE FISH LAKE REGION…PAHVANTS…TUSHARS…AND THE CEDAR CITY AREA MOUNTAINS.
HEAVY DENSE SNOWFALL AND STRONG WINDS WILL LIKELY CREATE VERY DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS. BOTH HUMAN TRIGGERED AND NATURAL AVALANCHES ARE LIKELY. STAY OFF OF AND OUT FROM UNDER SLOPES STEEPER THAN 30 DEGREES.
Special Announcements
Bruce and I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas... baby!
Now... let's keep our eyes on the prize,
Avalanche conditions are very dangerous across most of the State of Utah as discussed by our staff in the video below -
Weather and Snow
NOWCAST-
And then... it snowed! An thankfully for us... it dumped! The region is getting plastered with a thick, dense, heavy coat of white paint and storm totals are impressive. While much of the range registers nearly 18" of snow, Trial Lake stacked up close to 2' of snow with just over 2" of water. Southerly winds picked up overnight and are blowing 20-40 mph along the ridges, screaming in the 60's and 70's near the high peaks. Temperatures are in the teens and mid 20's.
FORECAST-
A quick hitting system stacks up 2"-4" of snow early this morning before a midday break. Southwest winds crank into the 50's and 60's along the high ridges and temperatures rise into the upper 20's.
FUTURECAST-
Expect heavy snowfall kicking in overnight into Sunday morning. A foot of snow piles up and temperatures dive into the teens. Winds subside slightly before another wave slides into the region Monday morning.
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
The snowpack is giving a clear warning. On Thursday, Mark remotely triggered an avalanche above Smith and Morehouse Reservoir on a slope loaded by strong southerly winds.
A list of all other observations is found HERE
Observations, trip reports, and avalanches found here.
Your input is vital and we're interested in what you're seeing. Please contribute to this great community resource and go here to fill out an observation.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Let's face it.... the snowpack is a house of cards and teetering on the edge. Slopes that haven't already avalanched naturally, just wait for a trigger like us to roll along and knock the legs out from underneath it. Today's avalanche danger is nothing to toy with as any avalanche triggered may have deadly consequences. Once triggered, slab avalanches will break on a persistent weak layer of old snow near the ground, resulting in a deep, wide, unmanageable slide.
  • Avalanches will break up to 6 feet deep and hundreds of feet wide in heavily wind loaded areas.
  • You don't have to be on a steep slope to trigger a large, dangerous avalanche.
  • Avalanches can be triggered from a distance, even on flat terrain.
  • You need to stay off of and out from under steep slopes.
Here's your exit strategy- there's plenty of safe, low angle terrain in the Uinta Mountains. But the key to avoiding avalanches is to avoid being on, under, or anywhere near slopes steeper than 30 degrees, especially those facing the north half of the compass.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Above is a 24 hour data dump from Windy Peak (10,662')
Southerly winds cranked in the 30's and 40's for the past two days, ramping up into the 50's and 60's overnight. With no shortage of snow to blow around, fresh drifts have formed everywhere, particularly in terrain that harbors a persistent weak layer of sugary facets near the ground. Today you need to avoid any fat, rounded, hollow sounding wind drift because that's exactly the right recipe for avalanches to break deeper and wider than you might expect, especially on steep, shady slopes.
Avalanche Problem #3
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
On slopes that don't have wind drifted snow and don't have old facets near the ground, the new snow alone may produce soft slab avalanches. Subtle variations in the new snow like density changes can create a temporary weak layer. Fortunately these instabilities can be short lived, but they remain a concern as long as it is snowing.
Additional Information
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
The information in this forecast expires 24 hours after the day and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Sunday December 26th.
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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