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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Friday morning, April 17, 2020
Heads up... we have two distinct avalanche problems today.
Dry snow avalanches-
In the wind zone at and above treeline, you'll find MODERATE avalanche danger. Human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep wind drifted slopes, especially those with an easterly component to its aspect. Any avalanche initiated has the possibility to break deeper and wider than you might expect and once triggered, can easily boss you around.
Wet snow avalanches-
All but the highest elevation north facing terrain takes on heat today. As temperatures soar, the danger of wet avalanches rises to MODERATE and human triggered avalanches become possible on steep, sunny slopes. This problem is easy to manage and easy to avoid by simply getting off of and out from under steep sun-baked terrain, especially as the day wares on.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements
From all of us... to all of you... HUGE THANKS!
The Avalanche Research Program at Simon Fraser University is conducting an online survey to examine how people use avalanche safety information. They want to hear from all backcountry users to understand how they process information provided in public avalanche forecasts. Anyone who completes the survey before May 15th will be entered to win cash prizes.
Uncertainty, Risk, & Decision Making: before, during, and after COVID-19 - Read this thought-provoking blog post about how we take risks by guest author Tom Diegel.
Weather and Snow
Currently-
Wow... what a great, late season storm for the eastern front, especially for the north half of the range where an evenly distributed foot of snow quickly stacked up early Thursday morning. Snow totals are about half that amount south of Trial Lake. In either case, conditions in the high country are about as good as they get. In the wake of yesterday's storm, skies cleared overnight and current temperatures register in the single digits. Along the high ridges, northwest winds blow in the 20's. While lower elevation terrain took on a bit of heat yesterday, set your sights on mid elevation wind sheltered terrain where you'll still find soft, settled, cold snow.
For today-
It'll be a stunning day with mostly sunny skies, light northerly winds, and temperatures climbing into the 40's.
Futurecast-
Slightly warmer and continued dry weather is slated for Saturday.
Recent Avalanches
No significant avalanche activity to report.
To view additional trip reports and recent avalanche activity, simply click here.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Shooting cracks like in the image above, are huge red flags and clues to unstable snow.
Recent winds whipped up a fresh batch of wind slabs along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. Problem is... as winds died down, snow continued stacking up, helping to hide and camouflage recently formed drifts under a fresh coat of white paint. Today's avalanche hazard is easy to detect and easy to avoid. Simply look for and steer clear of fat, rounded slopes, especially if they feel or sound hollow like a drum. In addition, use all the tools available to help you make solid decisions on your terrain choices. Tweak little test slopes and road cuts similar in aspect, elevation, and slope angle to what you wanna ride and see how they're reacting before setting your sights on big terrain.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The sun is intense and all but the highest north facing terrain will get kissed by today's strong sunshine. As a result, Thursday's cold storm snow will become damp and manky and the danger of wet avalanches will increase accordingly. The good news is... wet avalanche activity is easy to avoid by staying ahead of the curve. If the snow you're riding on takes on heat, simply get off of and out from under steep, sun-baked slopes. In addition, think about your exit strategy, especially late in the day. Avoid terrain traps like gullies and road cuts where tree snapping, cement-like debris can stack up very deeply.
Additional Information
Sunday April 19th will be the last of the regularly scheduled Uinta forecasts.
Information on outdoor recreation - The State of Utah created this webpage with information about recreating on both state and federal public lands during the current health crisis.
Skiing and riding at closed ski resorts - Some resorts allow access now, and some do not. Please check HERE for the latest info on ski area access.
New to the backcountry (including riding at closed resorts) - Watch the award-winning, 15 minute Know Before You Go video, or take the 5-part, free online-learning series.
General Announcements
The information in this forecast expires in 24 hours, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Saturday Apr. 18th.
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
The information in this forecast is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content.
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