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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Friday morning, January 29, 2016

At and above treeline, the avalanche danger will rise to CONSIDERABLE as the storm develops. By days end, human triggered avalanches will become likely on steep, wind drifted slopes. Any avalanche that breaks to weak, sugary snow near the ground has the potential to be deep and dangerous.

Mid elevation terrain gets in on the act as well. Expect the danger to rise to MODERATE, with human triggered avalanches possible on steep, wind drifted slopes.

Looking for LOW avalanche danger? Simply avoid being on or under steep wind drifted slopes. You can have a blast carving deep trenches in big, open meadows or seek out turns in wind sheltered terrain.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
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Learn how to read the forecast here
Avalanche Watch

THE FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER IN SALT LAKE CITY HAS ISSUED A BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WATCH.

* TIMING...IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM THIS MORNING UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY.

* AFFECTED AREA...FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH AND SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO INCLUDING THE WASATCH RANGE...BEAR RIVER RANGE...WESTERN UINTA RANGE...AND MANTI SKYLINE PLATEAU.

* AVALANCHE DANGER...THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS EXPECTED TO RISE TO HIGH WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. * IMPACTS...BY SATURDAY MORNING EXPECTED HEAVY SNOWFALL AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE WIDESPREAD AREAS OF UNSTABLE SNOW. BOTH HUMAN TRIGGERED AND NATURAL AVALANCHES WILL BE LIKELY.

THIS WATCH DOES NOT APPLY TO SKI AREAS WHERE AVALANCHE HAZARD REDUCTION MEASURES ARE PERFORMED.

Special Announcements

Saturday 4:30pm - Brighton Resort hosts UAC Forecaster Craig Gordon for a special Know Before You Go awareness talk focused on the current backcountry conditions. Presentation will be held on 3rd floor of Alpine Rose Lodge and as always is free to attend.

In addition, we installed a new beacon checker at the Soapstone Trailhead and Beacon Basin is up and running at Nobletts.... thanks to Trace and Miles!

Weather and Snow

High clouds are drifting into the region ahead of a good looking storm expected to settle in over the region this weekend. In the meantime, temperatures are in the upper 20's and west-southwest winds ramped up overnight, currently blowing 30-50 mph along the high ridges. Between the sun, the warm temperatures, and recent winds, the surface snow is getting worked. However, mid elevation wind sheltered terrain still offers soft, creamy snow.

Trip reports and observations are found here.

Recent Avalanches

Close call on the southern half of the range yesterday near Currant Creek Peak where the pack is slightly thinner. This sled triggered slide broke to the ground in steep, rocky, wind loaded terrain. One rider is completely buried with a hand sticking out. Wiggling fingers above the debris, clue partners to his location and a rescue quickly ensues. All is good at the end of the day, but this avalanche is a perfect example of the tricky persistent slab avalanche problem we're dealing with right now. More on the slide found here. (Thanks to Jeff Turner for the great info and photos!)

Recent avalanche observations are found here.

See or trigger an avalanche? Shooting cracks? Hear a collapse? It's simple. Go here to fill out an observation.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
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Likelihood
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Description

Avalanche danger will be on the rise the couple days. The winds are already cranking along the ridges, and though there's not a lot of snow available for transport, I bet there's a fresh wind drift or two that'll be sensitive to the additional weight of a rider. Fat, rounded, and sounding hollow like a drum, best to avoid any steep terrain with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. However, don't get lulled into thinking that's the only avalanche dragon we're dealing with.

Not so manageable, less predictable, and certainly more dangerous is any avalanche that breaks to old snow near the ground. Steep slopes facing the north half of the compass, particularly those that avalanched during the Solstice Storm remain guilty until proven otherwise. Unless you have a solid history of a slope or you're doing your homework and digging down to investigate the layering, you're simply rolling the dice.

It's tricky out there and this is what we're dealing with. Two close calls this week with avalanches breaking to the ground. (Dickerson and Turner photos)

Additional Information

West and southwest winds are gonna be a nuisance along the high ridges today, blowing in the 40's and 50's. High temperatures rise into the low 30's before dipping into the mid 20's overnight. Snow increases this afternoon as a very moist system settles over the region. Perhaps 4"-6" of snow stacking up late today and overnight. A cold front crosses the area tomorrow morning with snowfall rates increasing and snow densities decreasing. Snow continues through Saturday afternoon before tapering off in the evening. Storm totals in the 12"-18" range seem like a solid bet.

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]. To register for the first in our series of on-the-snow sled specific classes you can register here.

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 be will be updated by 7:00 AM on Saturday, January 30th.

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