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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Tuesday morning, February 28, 2023
Heavy snow and continued strong winds deliver a one-two punch along with dangerous avalanche conditions -
HIGH avalanche danger exists on steep, leeward slopes in the wind zone at and above treeline. Both human triggered and natural avalanches are VERY LIKELY, especially in wind drifted terrain facing the north half of the compass, and particularly slopes with an easterly component to its aspect. Winds penetrate mid elevation terrain and you'll find CONSIDERABLE danger and human triggered avalanches LIKELY on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. In either case today's slides will pack a punch and will definitely roll ya. While not as obvious or widespread, MODERATE avalanche danger is found at lower elevation terrain around our trailheads where human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted slopes.
Here's your exit strategy... LOW avalanche danger exists on many mid and lower elevation slopes facing the south half of the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements
Come out and ride for a cause! Utah Snowmobile Association's 6th annual RALLY IN THE VALLEY is being held March 4th at the cabins at Bear River Lodge. Bring family and friends to join in the fun! All the proceeds from RALLY IN THE VALLEY go directly to supporting the sport in our state. More deets are found HERE
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- As I type this forecast at o'dark thirty, an intense band of moisture moves through the Salt Lake Valley. That'll deliver yet another coat of white paint to the already robust 24 hour snow totals nearing 18" with about 1.20" H2O. Relentless southwest winds continue cranking 35-45 mph along the high ridges as temperatures hold steady, registering in the teens and mid 20's. Riding and turning conditions in wind sheltered terrain continue their streak of five star reviews.
Forecast- Snow continues stacking up this morning with an additional 3"-6" expected. Temperatures should crash into the single digits this morning while west winds blow in the 40's, with gusts in the 60's near the peaks.
Futurecast- The core of our recent storm slides through the region on Wednesday, bringing yet another solid shot of snow.
A vibrant, multi-colored map from our partners at the NWS depicts an active pattern with lots of Watches and Winter Weather Advisories .... has anyone ever told you pink is your color?
Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.
Recent Avalanches
This skier triggered slide in Browns Canyon Sunday is a bit unique, and speaks to the fact that we've got a big snow year with contiguous snow running tip to tail... from the valley floor to the ridgelines.
More slides from the weekend ... from Mt. Watson, to Hoyt Peak, to Double Hill, and Upper Chalk Creek, pockety fresh drifts forming on steep, leeward slopes were sensitive to the additional weight of a rider.
No other significant avalanche activity to report, but if ya wanna geek out, click HERE to track this years slide activity throughout the range.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Recent trends in wind speed, direction, and duration from Windy Peak (10,662').
Pretty straight-forward... southerly winds have blown for several days and there's no shortage of snow to blow around and form drifts on the leeward side of ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. Found mostly in the wind zone above treeline, plenty of fresh drifts formed in lower elevations as well. I bet if you were looking for a wind slab to trigger... you can find one and it's gonna break deeper than you'd expect. Here's where it gets tricky... drifts will be camouflaged by new snow, making them harder to detect. Today, you'll want to look for and avoid fat, rounded pieces of snow, especially if they sound of feel hollow like a drum. You know avoidance is the ticket, so be ready to pump the brakes on objectives if you're seeing shooting cracks out in front your your skis, board, or sled.
Additional Information
Weather stations-
And... rime events have severely crippled the Uinta weather station network. I'm working to get it back up and running, but a few stations are found HERE (click weather stations, and then on the Western Uinta tab)
Observations-
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
Issued at 03:19 on Tuesday February 28th, this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Wednesday March 1st 2023.
Before it gets too crazy, now is the time to book an avalanche awareness presentation for your group, club, or posse. You can reach Craig 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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