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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Wednesday morning, March 1, 2023
Don't get fooled by a lull in this mornings weather... strong winds continue delivering dangerous avalanche conditions and once triggered, today's slides will easily boss you around-
HIGH avalanche danger exists on steep, leeward slopes in the wind zone at and above treeline. Human triggered avalanches are VERY LIKELY, especially in wind drifted terrain facing the north half of the compass, and particularly slopes with an easterly component to its aspect. Recent winds penetrated mid elevation terrain and you'll find CONSIDERABLE danger with human triggered avalanches LIKELY on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. In either case today's slides will pack a punch and will definitely roll ya. While not as obvious or widespread, MODERATE avalanche danger is found at lower elevation terrain around our trailheads where human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted slopes.
Here's your exit strategy... LOW avalanche danger exists on many mid and lower elevation slopes facing the south half of the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
Come out and ride for a cause! Utah Snowmobile Association's 6th annual RALLY IN THE VALLEY is being held March 4th at the cabins at Bear River Lodge. Bring family and friends to join in the fun! All the proceeds from RALLY IN THE VALLEY go directly to supporting the sport in our state. More deets are found HERE
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- It's o'dark thirty (well... 02:09 to be exact) and thick clouds stream into the area with snow expected to began ramping up in the next couple hours. Cold air filtered into the region late yesterday and current temperatures register in the single singles up high and low teens near the trailheads. West, south, and now southeast winds have been blowing for days and continue in that spirit this morning with hourly averages in the 20's and 30's along the high ridges. With nearly two feet of snow stacking up in the past 24 hours, riding and turning conditions are all-time.
Forecast- The next storm system sets its sights on the southern half of the state, but we should see snow beginning to stackup by about sunrise. While not nearly as robust as our last systems, expect a respectable 3"-6" by closing bell none-the-less. High temperatures climb into the 20's and southerly winds blow in the 30's for a good portion of the day, switching to the north and northeast late tonight, ushering in very cold air with overnight lows cratering into negative territory.
Futurecast- A break in the action is on tap for Thursday, with a weak system brushing by to the north late Friday. Another lull is slated for Saturday with the active pattern gearing back up again late in the weekend.
Our partners at the NWS deliver the timeline for the next round of snow.
Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.
Recent Avalanches
This skier triggered slide in Browns Canyon Sunday is a bit unique, and speaks to the fact that we've got a big snow year with contiguous snow running tip to tail... from the valley floor to the ridgelines.
More slides from the weekend ... 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.
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' on the left), produce a natural avalanche breaking a couple feet deep, on a steep wind drifted slope in Upper Weber Canyon (on the right).
Generally from the south, winds began blowing right around suppertime on February 22nd and with no shortage of snow to blow around, drifts have been stacking up on the leeward side of ridges for over a week. Found mostly in the wind zone above treeline, due to strength and duration, plenty of fresh drifts formed in lower elevations as well. While not as tender as yesterday, any new or older drift can break deeper than you'd expect. Here's where it gets tricky... drifts are camouflaged by new snow, making them harder to detect. Today, you'll want to look for and avoid fat, rounded pieces of snow, especially if they sound of feel hollow like a drum. 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.
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 Wednesday March 1st, this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Thursday March 2nd 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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