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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Saturday morning, December 28, 2019
In the wind zone at mid and upper elevations, MODERATE avalanche danger exists for both fresh wind drifts (manageable) and old snow issues (unmanageable). 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-
A cold wave of moisture slid through the region early this morning, while some of us where sleeping, while some of us we up, delivering a couple inches of low density, cold smoke. Skies are clearing and it's cold out there with current temperatures registering in the low single digits. Along the high ridges temperatures are in negative territory and northerly winds blow 10-20 mph. Windchill values clock in at a finger numbing -21 degrees. The Christmas storm was good to us, delivering 10" of medium density snow, which goes a long way to help cushion hard, old snow surfaces. 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 few snow showers linger, but in general we're drying out. Look for clearing skies and cold temperatures with highs barely cracking into the teens and overnight lows cratering well below zero. Northwest winds blow 10-20 mph along the ridges with a few gusts in the low 30's along the high peaks.
Future cast-
A increasingly active period looks promising for the first couple days of 2020... likely longer.
Ted was on the east side of the range yesterday and found very good coverage and excellent riding conditions in the Millcreek zone. More on his travels found here.
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 Wednesday 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
I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing. The snowpack is slowly gaining strength and it's got body. It's not just a pile of weak, lifeless, sugary snow... and that's good news. As a matter of fact, the lack of avalanche activity reveals why it's been a over week since we've seen or heard of any avalanches failing on weak, old snow layers near the ground. However, I also know the snowpack structure suggests we're not quite out of the woods just yet. And here's why... there's a persistent weak layer near the ground and these weaknesses can take long periods of time to heal. I also know that it might be more difficult to trigger a slide, but once initiated, avalanches have a distinct possibility of breaking deeper and wider than I might expect. Look at where Ted's pit failed in the image above.
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.
The biggest clue to avalanches is.... avalanches! Occurring during the mid December storm, sure it's old news, but the slide in the image above, to the southeast of Tower Mountain, clearly illustrates the type of avalanche we're dealing when we talk about a persistent weak layer.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Currant Creek Peak in the image above, along with arrows indicating recent winds, reveals the kind of terrain where you're most likely to find a fresh wind drift today. 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.
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 Sunday Dec. 29th.
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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