Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Mark Staples
Issued by Mark Staples for
Friday, April 21, 2023
In most places the avalanche danger today is LOW with only a few inches of snow on top of a hard icy snowpack.
Wind-loaded slopes above treeline have a MODERATE danger where shallow, soft slabs of wind drifted snow can be triggered. The main issue is that these wind slabs should become larger and more widespread this afternoon.
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Moderate
Considerable
High
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Special Announcements
The last daily forecast will be Sunday, April 23. We will provide intermittent updates with any storm until Sunday, May 7th and will continue posting backcountry observations until then.
The UAC is sad to report that a resident was killed by a roof avalanche on Monday, April 17th, in the Town of Brighton. A report is available HERE. Many communities still have a lot of snow on roofs that could produce similar avalanches.
Weather and Snow
Winter is not going away without a fight! A northwest flow continues to bring cold air and moisture with most snowfall favoring the north slope of the Uintas.
Yesterday, high temperatures kissed 30 degrees briefly before cooling off. 2-4 inches of snow fell mostly on the north slope while the Daniels area stayed dry or got a trace of snow at best.
This morning, temperatures are 15-20 degrees F. Winds picked up around 1 a.m. and are blowing 25 mph gusting to 35 mph from the west-northwest at upper elevations.
Today, according to the National Weather Service, a "plume of moisture with a cold front dropping over the area" this afternoon will bring more snowfall. My best guess is 4-8 inches of snow concentrated on the north slope. Temperatures will rise into the 20s F. Also, winds from the west-northwest will be increasing.
Recent Avalanches
There have been no reported avalanches in the Uintas since last weekend when there were some loose wet avalanches.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Shallow soft slabs of wind drifted snow will be the main hazard today. Expect them to be growing in size and sensitivity this afternoon. Watch for areas that have or will receive more snow especially on the north slope.
This morning, these wind slabs shouldn't be too widespread or too big because this week winds have been pretty tame with only been a few inches of snow falling on Tuesday and then on Thursday. However, these winds slabs could become bigger and more widespread this afternoon with more snow and stronger winds.
General Announcements
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.