March Kicks Off Our Spring Campaign- Donate Now to Support Forecasting
Ad
The National Forest Service Logo
icon-add Observation
Forecasts
Logan Ogden Salt Lake Provo Uintas Skyline Moab Abajos Weather Archives How to read the forecast
Observations & Avalanches
Submit Observation Observations Explorer All Observations Avalanches Fatalities Weather Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Class List UAC Class List Online Classes Resources and Tutorials Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills
Events
Store
About
Contact Who we are Core Values Staff Board of Directors Past Forecasters Sponsors Annual Reports Sign In
Blog
icon-add Observation
Donate / Join

Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Thursday morning, March 25, 2021
In the wind zone, at and above treeline you'll find MODERATE avalanche danger. Human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted, leeward slopes, especially those facing the north half of the compass.
And here's something to consider... if you're getting into steep, technical terrain, even a small slide can knock you off your ride, potentially slam you into a tree, and deliver a season ending injury... or worse.
Lose some elevation and you lose most of the problem. Mid and low elevation wind sheltered terrain offers generally LOW avalanche danger.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
Our Spring Avy Awareness Campaign is in full swing from March 16th- March 30th. Please help us save lives through avalanche forecasts and education. Consider making a donation to show your support.
Weather and Snow
Nowcast-
High clouds drape the region this morning and a snow flurry or two drifts by as a slightly disorganized system moves across the area. Temperatures are cool, registering in the single digits and mid teens, while west and southwest winds blow 15-25 mph along the high ridges. Riding and turning conditions are quite good, though our big, open terrain in the alpine took a bit of a hit from Tuesday nights northeast wind. However, lose some elevation, head to wind sheltered terrain and you're rewarded with soft, settled, creamy snow.
Forecast-
Mostly cloudy skies are on tap with light snow developing throughout the day. Just a couple inches of snow stacks up by sunset. West and southwest winds bump into the 20's and 30's along the high peaks and temperatures climb into the low 20's with overnight lows dipping into the teens.
Futurecast-
A better shot of snow slides through the region late tonight through Friday, lingering into early Saturday morning. I'm cautiously optimistic for storm totals in the 5"-10" range before high pressure builds over the Uinta's, bringing dry, warm weather through Sunday.
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 few shallow wind drifts were triggered on steep, leeward terrain in the wind zone yesterday, otherwise no significant avalanche activity to report.
Observations, trip reports, and avalanches found here.
Ad
Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Nothing too alarming, but an overnight data dump from Windy Peak (10,662') illustrates a slight uptick in westerly winds early this morning.
Today's avalanche problems are straight-forward and limited to terrain in the wind zone-
As winds increase, you'll want to be on the lookout for any fresh wind drifts that form on steep, leeward slopes and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. You can easily avoid triggering a fresh slab by avoiding the problem. Simply look for and steer clear of fat, rounded pillows of snow, especially if they sound or feel hollow like a drum. And you don't have to ride blind... tweak small test slopes like road cuts to see how they're reacting before tagging big terrain or committing to pre-planned objectives.
Additional Information
The big melt down is in full swing, but don't let a little asphalt discourage you. Gain some elevation, seek out low angle wind sheltered terrain, and you're rewarded with soft settled snow... and a couple hundred turns to boot :)
I will update this forecast by 7:00 AM tomorrow, Friday, March 26th.
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
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 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.
< Previous forecast
Next forecast >