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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Saturday morning, February 26, 2022
Today the avalanche danger is MODERATE in the wind zone above treeline, especially on slopes facing the north half of the compass where fresh wind drifts will react to our additional and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE. Lose the wind and you lose the problem. Near and below treeline where winds haven't drifted snow, the avalanche danger is LOW and human triggered avalanches are UNLIKELY.
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Weather and Snow
NOWCAST-
The last gasp of moisture slid through the region late last night delivering a trace of snow, bumping this weeks storm totals into the 6"-8" range. Early this morning under clearing skies very cold air filtered into the region allowing temperatures to crater into negative territory. Near the high peaks west and northwest winds blow in the teens and low 20's creating with chills to -25 degrees. Dribs and drabs of new snow trickling in all week has added up and it's starting to feel deep, especially on northerly facing, wind-sheltered slopes where the new snow rests on soft, faceted snow.
FORECAST-
Expect a stunning day in the mountains with clear skies and bright sunshine. Winds taper off as the day wares on and high temperatures climb into the mid and upper 20's. Overnight lows dip into the teens and single digits.
FUTURECAST-
High pressure builds in earnest Sunday, but temperatures don't go through the roof as a weak storm ushers in high clouds by days end. More sunshine is in tap for Monday through about midweek with some degree of storminess sliding through the region towards the end of the work week.
Trip reports and current state of the snowpack observations are found HERE.
I captured this photo of Reids Peak on Wednesday when conditions felt quite wintry which was a big change from the extended warm, dry weather.
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
A keen eye and a quick shutter speed, Ted was in the Double Hill zone yesterday and caught this image of a rider triggering a fresh wind drift that broke about 20" deep and slightly wider than expected. Everyone was a bit surprised, but all ok once the dust settled. Ted's great writeup is 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
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Snowpro and avy educator extraordinaire, Dave Kikkert was in upper Weber Canyon yesterday and triggered this piece of snow from a distance. Dave was a bit surprised by the connectivity and commented... "I went out for a quick tour yesterday and learned a lot in a short period of time." Sage insight from a guy who's been in the biz for a few decades.
This weeks uber-fluff storm snow contains very little water, it's super low density, and that means it's easily drifted by winds. And while recent winds have blown from nearly every quadrant of the compass, consistent westerly winds the past 24 hours have added just enough body and cohesion to the light fluffy snow, transforming it into a stiff wind drift with slab-like characteristics.
Found mostly in upper elevation, leeward terrain, today's fresh wind drifts are gonna continue to be touchy, breaking 2' deep and may start to expand their boundaries and break wider than you might expect. In any case, avoiding avalanches today means just searching for soft snow untouched by the wind. Areas with wind drifted snow will look rounded, pillowy, and smooth and may sound hollow like a drum.
Many wind slabs rest on a wide variety of old snow surfaces and present varying degrees of stability, so you'll need to evaluate each slope on an individual basis. You don't have to roll the dice and take your chances so the best strategy is to simply avoid wind drifted slopes and ride terrain sheltered by recent winds.
A sidebar HEADS UP - It's easy to be complacent because conditions aren't too dangerous, and avalanches may not be too big. HOWEVER, an avalanche fatality earlier this month in Montana near West Yellowstone is an example of how a relatively small avalanche can be deadly. That avalanche was 4-11 inches deep and 75 feet wide. Read more HERE.
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, February 27th.
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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