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Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Sunday morning, December 24, 2023
The avalanche danger is MODERATE on the Manti Skyline today. Fresh dense wind blown snow may have created drifts and areas with fresh slabs of snow that may be sensitive to people. Watch for cracking and listen for collapsing (whooping) which are indicators of unstable snow.
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Moderate
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Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: Saturday's storm exceeded my expectations but that's not saying much. It looks like we wound up with 3 to 6 inches of new snow. The majority of it was quite dense with the last bit being lower density. This should greatly improve riding conditions. Temperatures dropped into the single digits overnight. The wind has been from the west and there was a spike in speeds Saturday afternoon. Speeds have slowed but are still in the moderate category along the higher more exposed terrain.
Mountain Weather: We'll see a few scattered clouds today with high temperatures into the teens. Wind will be decreasing in speed from the west northwest. Temperatures gradually warm through the week with a minor storm that might bring a small amount of snow Friday into Saturday.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Dense snow and wind may have been enough to form some areas of unstable snow. This new snow fell on weak preexisting snow. Dense wind blown snow on top of a layer of weak snow is a red flag. Watch for cracking and collapsing of the new snow and avoid steep slopes if you see this. The most likely places to trigger something will be on the mid and upper elevation north through east facing terrain but watch west aspects as well.
For a detailed description of what's gone on so far this season, check the SKYLINE SEASONAL SNOWPACK SUMMARY.
General Announcements
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.