Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains
Issued by Craig Gordon for
Monday, December 27, 2021
Monday, December 27, 2021
Heads up, nothing has changed... it's the real deal. Please think about your terrain choices and the potentially deadly consequences of triggering an avalanche today-
Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist near and above treeline in the western Uinta's where the avalanche danger is HIGH. Both natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely. Very dense, heavy snow combined with strong winds has overloaded our fragile snowpack. Below treeline, human triggered avalanches are likely, and the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE.
Here's your exit strategy- there's plenty of safe, low angle terrain, but the key to avoiding avalanches is to avoid being on, under, or anywhere near slopes steeper than 30 degrees, especially those facing the north half of the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Avalanche Warning
THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS HIGH WITH DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS.
AN AVALANCHE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF MUCH OF THE STATE OF UTAH, INCLUDING THE WASATCH RANGE...BEAR RIVER RANGE...UINTA MOUNTAINS...AND THE MANTI-SKYLINE.
HEAVY DENSE SNOWFALL AND STRONG WINDS HAVE CREATED DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS. BOTH HUMAN TRIGGERED AND NATURAL AVALANCHES ARE LIKELY. STAY OFF OF AND OUT FROM UNDER SLOPES STEEPER THAN 30 DEGREES
Special Announcements
Now... let's keep our eyes on the prize,
Avalanche conditions are very dangerous across most of the State of Utah as discussed by our staff in the video below -
Weather and Snow
NOWCAST-
Yesterday's quick hitting storm roared through the area, slammed into the northern half of the range and quickly stacked up 14" of low density snow with just over an inch of water. Trial Lake appears to be the dividing line for the storm as terrain on the south half of the range only stacked up about 6" of snow. In either case, west and southwest winds didn't discriminate and they blasted in the 50's for most of the day, tapering off around dinner time and currently blow 30-40 mph along the ridges. Temperatures hover in the single digits and windchill factors register to -25 degrees along the ridges.
FORECAST-
The image above sets the timeline for our next storm. A break in the action is short-lived and we can expect the active pattern ramping back up later today. It'll be cold with high temperatures barely cracking out of the single digits and into the teens. Southwest winds blow in the 40's along the ridges, before shifting to the west as snow develops by early evening. A foot of snow by morning seems like a good bet.
FUTURECAST-
On and off snow showers through the remainder of the week.
Looking for real-time temps, snow, or wind?
Click HERE and then on the "western Uinta" tab for western Uinta specific, weather station network.
Recent Avalanches
Visibility has been less than ideal and we have no new avalanche activity to report since Mark remotely triggered the avalanche in the video above.
Click HERE for a list of recent avalanches.
A list of all other observations is found HERE
Observations, trip reports, and avalanches found here.
Your input is vital and we're interested in what you're seeing. Please contribute to this great community resource and go here to fill out an observation.
Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The writing is on the wall, the snowpack is a house of cards, and it's teetering on the edge. Slopes that haven't already avalanched naturally, just wait for a trigger like us to roll along and knock the legs out from underneath it. Today's avalanche danger is nothing to toy with as any avalanche triggered may have deadly consequences. Once triggered, slab avalanches will break on a persistent weak layer of old snow near the ground, resulting in a deep, wide, unmanageable slide.
- Avalanches will break up to 6 feet deep and hundreds of feet wide in heavily wind loaded areas.
- You don't have to be on a steep slope to trigger a large, dangerous avalanche.
- Avalanches can be triggered from a distance, even on flat terrain.
- You need to stay off of and out from under steep slopes.
Here's your exit strategy- there's plenty of safe, low angle terrain in the Uinta Mountains. But the key to avoiding avalanches is to avoid being on, under, or anywhere near slopes steeper than 30 degrees, especially those facing the north half of the compass.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Above is a 24 hour data dump from Windy Peak (10,662')
Winds are always the great equalizer on the eastern front and man... they've been relentless for days. West and southwest winds have cranked 30-40 mph since last Thursday, blasting into the 70's at times, and just recently, blowing in the 50's and 60's for a good portion of yesterday morning. With no shortage of snow to blow around, fresh drifts have formed everywhere, particularly in terrain that harbors a persistent weak layer of sugary facets near the ground. Today you need to avoid any fat, rounded, hollow sounding wind drift because that's exactly the right recipe for avalanches to break deeper and wider than you might expect, especially on steep, shady slopes.
Additional Information
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
The information in this forecast expires 24 hours after the day and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Tuesday December 28th.
Before it gets too crazy, now is the time to book an avalanche awareness presentation for your group, club, or posse. You can reach me 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.