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Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Tuesday morning, January 16, 2024
The avalanche danger remains HIGH today on the Skyline.
Natural avalanches are not expected but human triggered avalanches are almost certain.
Avalanches can be triggered from a distance so make sure there are no steep slopes above you.
Dangerous avalanche conditions still exist.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Avalanche Bulletin
What
The avalanche danger for the area is Considerable to High.
When
In effect from 6am MST this morning to 6am MST Wednesday.
Where
All the mountains of northern, central and southern Utah, to include southeastern Idaho and the Bear River Range.
Impacts
Dangerous avalanche conditions exist on many slopes of all elevations. Avalanche accidents often occur under these conditions. Stay off of and out from underneath slopes steeper than 30 degrees.
Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: No measurable snow was recorded on the Skyline in the last 24 hours. The wind from the west has continued to blow in the moderate to strong speed category. It looks like it's finally hinting at slowing down. Temperatures dropped from the mid 20s on Monday into the low teens and single digits overnight. Snow surface conditions mostly consist of dense new snow. It's not the deep powder of last week. It's much more supportable keeping you near the top of the snowpack but you can easily break through into the deep unconsolidated sugary snow lurking deeper in the pack.
Mountain Weather: The wind should finally ease up today. It'll still remain from a westerly direction. Temperatures should reach 20˚F. We'll have mostly sunny skies. Another storm will move through on Wednesday bringing around 3 to 6 inches of new snow. This storm may favor the north end of the Skyline again where we could see a little more than 6 inches of new snow if we're lucky.
Ad
Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Today has avalanche accident written all over it.
Powder starved and powder hungry riders along with fresh snow, a bluebird day and a very unstable snowpack is the recipe for an accident. The base of our snowpack remains very weak and will remain that way for some time to come. All you can do is wait until we see more stable conditions to get into steeper terrain.
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.