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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon for
Saturday, December 8, 2012

Terrain to avoid- steep, mid and upper elevation leeward slopes, especially those with an easterly component to their aspect where you'll find wind drifts reactive to your additional weight. A MODERATE avalanche danger exists in this terrain. Remember- it's shallow out there and triggering even a small slide could take you for a season ending ride through rocks, stumps, and trees.

LOW avalanche danger exists on wind sheltered slopes.

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High
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Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements

Mirror Lake Highway is closed and plowing is done for the season. Wolf Creek Pass remains open and is probably a bit of a mess this morning, but don't let the easy access to nearby terrain lull you into a false sense of security. Be prepared for your own self rescue. Wear and know how to use a beacon, shovel, and probe.

Weather and Snow

Wow... what a great little storm! Yesterday's cold front slammed into the region just before noon, stacking up 10" of new, light density snow in a matter of just a few hours. In the wake of the cold front, temperatures have crashed into negative territory with most stations reporting zero to -5 degrees. Northwest winds are still blowing 10-20 mph at most locations, gusting into the mid 30's along the high peaks. Riding and turning conditions have vastly improved and it'll be a cold smoke, winter stoke kinda day.

Recent snow and avalanche observations can be found here.

Wondering why last winter was so crazy? Click here to watch the 2011-12 Utah Winter Review... an excellent recap of last years conditions.

Recent Avalanches

Visibility was pretty limited yesterday, but reports of easily triggered wind drifts about a foot deep seem to be the norm.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Yesterday's gusty west and northwest winds rapidly formed drifts on the leeward side of upper elevation ridgelines. These were quite sensitive during the height of the storm breaking 1'-2' deep and packing a bit of a punch. Today's slabs won't be quite as sensitive as yesterday. However, given all the obstacles you can still slam into in even a small slide, it's best to continue avoiding steep upper elevation wind drifted slopes, especially those where the snow surface looks fat and rounded or sounds hollow like a drum.

Avalanche Problem #2
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Today's avalanches will be mostly manageable in size. However, there's an isolated possibility for a slide to break into weaker layers of snow as it crashes down on the slope below. This would create a larger slide than you might expect and the avalanche would pack a healthy punch.

Additional Information

Today we can expect mostly cloudy skies, light snow showers, and cold temperatures. Daytime highs only reach into the mid single digits and overnight lows dip to near zero.. Northwest winds will continue to be a nuisance along the high peaks, gusting in the mid 30's and low 40's. Light snow showers are on tap for Monday with an additional 2"-4" expected. Look for a slight warming trend Tuesday and Wednesday with another round of snow slated for Friday.

General Announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can call me directly at 801-231-2170, email [email protected], or email by clicking HERE

This is a great time of year to schedule a free avalanche awareness presentation for your group or club. You can contact me at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]

Donate to your favorite non-profit –The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

The information in this advisory is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Wednesday December 12th.

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