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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Thursday morning, December 26, 2019
In the wind zone at mid and upper elevations, MODERATE avalanche danger exists for both new and old snow issues. Primarily found on steep slopes facing the north half of the compass, human triggered avalanches initiated on fresh wind drifted slopes and then breaking to old snow near the ground are POSSIBLE, particularly in rocky terrain harboring weak, pre-existing, early season snow.
Lose a little elevation and you lose much of the problem. Wind sheltered, low and mid elevation terrain and big open meadows with no steep slopes above or adjacent to where you're riding generally offers LOW avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are unlikely.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
Huge thanks to Andy Nassetta and Kyle Mays for their Herculean efforts Tuesday installing both the Are You Beeping sign and Beacon Basin at Nobletts... you guys rock and your hard work is deeply appreciated by everyone in our mountain community.
Weather and Snow
Currently-
Overnight, a nice little shot of snow developed with an additional 4" stacking up since right around dinnertime. Clouds are thinning out this morning and temperatures hover in the single digits and low teens. Winds are light and variable, blowing just 10-20 mph even along the high peaks. Storm totals nearing 10" help cushion hard, old snow surfaces and mid elevation wind sheltered slopes offer soft, creamy snow. Total snow depths average just over three feet and the range has excellent early season coverage.
Uinta weather network info is found here. Simply click on the Western Uinta tab.
For today-
A stray snow shower or two slides through the region, but in general the Christmas storm is winding down. Southerly winds remain light, blowing less than 20 mph along the ridges. High temperatures climb into the 20's and as skies clear, overnight lows dive into the single digits.
Future cast-
High pressure builds Friday and Saturday. After a weekend lull, the pattern reloads remains active. Light snow is likely Sunday with the potential for a decent storm ringing in the New Year.
Recent Avalanches
No significant new avalanche activity to report for nearly a week from Uinta world, but the viddy below captured by Matt Baydala in Dutch Draw yesterday is quite compelling.
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
The snowpit profile in the image above illustrates two things-
First, the good news-
Our snowpack is slowly healing and snow structure reveals why it's been a week since we've seen or heard of any avalanches failing on weak, old snow layers near the ground.
But second and most importantly...
There's a persistent weak layer near the ground, and once initiated, avalanches have a distinct possibility of breaking deeper and wider than you might expect.
Personally, I don't entirely trust anything in the snowpack I can't manage, so I'm going to continue avoiding terrain that harbors questionable snowpack structure. Of course the usual suspects come to mind... steep, rocky, upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass is bulls-eye terrain and should be considered suspect. With all the great coverage across the range and so many other riding options, there's no reason to roll the dice or pull on the dogs tail.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Last nights fresh snow covers over drifts formed earlier in the week, making them hard to detect. While mostly manageable in size, if you're getting into high alpine terrain, today's wind slabs might break a bit wider and deeper than you'd expect and could boss you around. Found along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies, your best bet for avoidance is to simply steer clear of any fat, rounded piece of snow, especially if it sounds hollow like a drum. In addition, look for shooting cracks in the snow which are sure signs of unstable conditions.
Ted was near Double Hill Tuesday and noted cross-loading in bowls and chutes facing the north half of the compass. Take note... this slope will look entirely different this morning. More on Ted's travels and insight found here.
Additional Information
Thanks to the generous support of our Utah ski resorts and Ski Utah, we have discount lift tickets available. All proceeds support the UAC. Get your tickets HERE.
Get one of these cool t-shirts to support the UAC and other avalanche centers across the U.S. INFO
General Announcements
The information in this forecast expires in 24 hours, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Friday Dec. 27th.
This forecast is updated daily by 7:00 AM.
In the mean-time, 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
It'll be a minute or two before we're riding, but while you're waiting....
This is a great time of year to schedule one of our free avy awareness presentations.
You can email me directly [email protected]
The information in this forecast is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content.
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