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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Sunday morning, February 26, 2023
Winds continue pounding the region, reshaping the landscape-
Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY on steep, leeward slopes in the wind zone at and above treeline, where you'll find CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. With a little provocation, both new and older wind drifts react to our additional weight and today's slides are beginning to pack a punch, especially in terrain facing the north half of the compass. While not as obvious or widespread, pockets of MODERATE danger are found in mid elevation terrain near treeline and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow.
Lose the wind and you lose the problem... LOW avalanche danger exists on mid and lower elevation terrain, especially slopes facing the south half of the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- I know you came for the snow... but I hope you'll stay for the wind... said no Uinta forecaster ever :)
Just a trace to a couple traces of snow fell overnight as high clouds drift into the region and southerly winds crank 40-60 mph near the high peaks. Temperatures are warm before the upcoming storm, registering in the low 20's near the ridges and hovering right around freezing at the trailheads. Recent winds have wrecked vast amounts of terrain and if there's a day to get the garage cleaned out and some chores off your plate it's today. However, if your snow riding vehicle steers you towards the mountains, seek out mid elevation, wind sheltered terrain and you'll be rewarded with cold, creamy snow.
Forecast- A nice looking storm is on the doorstep and we should see snow developing late today. In the meantime, southerly winds pound the ridges, blowing in the 40's and 50's while temperatures climb into the mid and upper 30's. Snow should fill in right around dinnertime and we can expect 2"-4" before the turn of a new day.
Futurecast- The storm gets its groove on overnight with an additional 6"-10" by sunrise Monday.
Most likely periods of heaviest snowfall are Sunday night, Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning.
Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.
Recent Avalanches
Flavor of the day... from Mt. Watson, to Hoyt Peak, to Double Hill, and Upper Chalk Creek, pockety fresh drifts forming on steep, leeward slopes were sensitive to the additional weight of a rider Saturday.
No other significant avalanche activity to report, but if ya wanna geek out, click HERE to track this years slide activity throughout the range.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Recent trends in wind speed, direction, and duration from Windy Peak (10,662').
Pretty straight-forward... southerly winds have blown for several days and there's still enough snow to blow around and form drifts on the leeward side of ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. Found mostly in the wind zone above treeline, plenty of fresh drifts formed right around treeline as well. I bet if you were looking for a wind slab to trigger... you can find one and it might break a little deeper than you'd expect. You know avoidance is the ticket, so be ready to pump the brakes on objectives if you're seeing shooting cracks out in front your your skis, board, or sled. This is an easy avalanche dragon to avoid... lose the wind and you lose the problem.
Additional Information
Weather stations-
And... rime events have severely crippled the Uinta weather station network. I'm working to get it back up and running, but a few stations are found HERE (click weather stations, and then on the Western Uinta tab)
Observations-
Your observations are important, so please let me know what you're seeing... click HERE and contribute to this amazing community-based program
General Announcements
Issued at 03:09 on Sunday February 26th, this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Monday February 27th 2023.
Before it gets too crazy, now is the time to book an avalanche awareness presentation for your group, club, or posse. You can reach Craig directly at 801-231-2170 or [email protected].
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.
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