Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains
Wednesday morning, April 6, 2016
The avalanche danger is generally LOW and human triggered avalanches are unlikely.
Special Announcements
We're starting to wrap things up for the season and this Sunday April 10th will be the last of our regularly scheduled advisories.
Weather and Snow
Skies cleared late yesterday, cold air filtered into the region, and this morning's temperatures are winter-like... in the mid teens and low 20's. Northwest winds are still a nuisance along the high peaks, blowing 25-35 mph. Getting around right now is a bit rugged and you'll definitely need scratchers in order to make any progress and not overheat your sled. While a few patches of soft, settled snow still exist on high elevation north facing slopes, I think hitting the south half of the compass is a more reliable bet, where smooth melt-freeze surface snow awaits on all sunny slopes. Yup... the eastern front corn harvest is on!
Uinta weather station network info is found here.
Trip reports and observations are found here.
Recent Avalanches
Wet Snow
Description
Clear skies and cold temperatures, provided a deep refreeze and the avalanche danger is LOW. With rock-solid snow underfoot, we've got go-anywhere conditions and this is the time many riders venture into steep, remote terrain. While today's avalanche danger is pretty straight-forward, remember you don't want to overstay your welcome on steep sunny slopes. As the surface snow heats up or if you find yourself sinking into damp, manky snow, simply move on to a cooler aspect that isn't getting baked by the intense April sun.
Cornices have grown large and can break a little further back than you might expect.
Additional Information
It'll be a stunning day in the mountains with sunny skies, temperatures climbing into the low 40's, and decreasing winds as the day wares on. Overnight lows will dip into the 20's. Same pattern for Thursday and Friday, and then moist and unsettled weather is on track to begin late Friday or early Saturday and continue through much of next week.
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 If Craig is unavailable you can reach his partner Trent at 801-455-7239, email [email protected]
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 will be updated by 7:00 AM on Thursday, April 7th.