Uintas Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Craig Gordon

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

We recently installed three weather stations which are up and running in Weber Canyon and along the Mirror Lake Highway. A fourth will be online soon. Click here for current winds, temperatures and snow accumulations.


BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on steep wind drifted slopes at both mid and upper elevations and human triggered avalanches are possible. Be aware that pockets of CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exist, especially in upper elevation terrain that didn’t slide during the big mid December storm. Dangerous avalanches can still be triggered on steep, upper elevation slopes that face northwest, north, northeast and east. Avalanches triggered in this type of terrain will be large and unmanageable, pulling out much wider and deeper than you might expect.

A LOW avalanche danger exists on most sun-exposed slopes and low elevation terrain.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

Under partly cloudy skies, a slight inversion developed overnight and temperatures are barely crawling out of negative territory this morning. Currently at the trailheads it’s just about zero, at 10,000’ it’s 4 degrees and of course not to be outdone, Lily Lake comes in at a frosty -9 degrees. East and northeast winds are blowing 5-15 mph at most locations, but along the high ridges they’re still quite active, averaging 15 mph with gusts in the mid to upper 20’s. An inch of new snow has fallen in the past 24 hours and total snow depths average right around 32 inches.


RECENT ACTIVITY

No recent avalanche activity to report. Click here for recent snowpack observations.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Northerly winds have been busy at work the past three days, creating wind slabs on upper elevation leeward slopes and around chutes and gullies. Though not widespread and pockety in nature, they’re sensitive to the weight of a rider and big enough to knock you off your sled, skis or board. Be aware that even a small wind drift may break into weaker snow as it descends the slope, triggering a much bigger slide than you bargained for. Today you’ll want to continue avoiding these hollow sounding hard slabs which look like fat rounded pillows of snow.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

While snowpit stability tests indicate the snowpack is gaining strength and I haven’t seen or heard of any human triggered slides in the past five days, my gut feeling is we’re not out of the woods yet. Sure, you can rip steep upper elevation terrain that slid big during the mid December avalanche cycle without incident. But unless you’ve been diligently tracking the history of a slope, it's hard to tell what has avalanched and what hasn't. So here’s the deal- upper elevation terrain facing the north half of the compass that had pre-exiting snow and didn’t avalanche during the big mid December storm remains deceptively dangerous. You can still trigger avalanches which break on weak snow near the ground and involve the entire season’s snowpack. If your travels take you into this type of terrain you’ll need to carefully evaluate the snowpack, your terrain choices and above all, think about the consequences of triggering a slide.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

Weak high pressure over the region is allowing a series of wimpy looking disturbances to move through our area, giving us partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of a flurry or two. Today’s high temperatures struggle to get into the mid teens at 10,000’ and low 20’s at the trailheads. Overnight lows hover right around zero. North and northeast winds remain well behaved at most locations, but will gust into the mid 20’s along the high ridges. Increasing afternoon clouds and slightly warmer temperatures are on tap for Sunday and a stronger storm system moves through the state around Tuesday.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted. Grant will update this forecast by 7:00 AM Sunday December 27th.

If you’re getting out and about and trigger an avalanche or see anything interesting please drop me an email at craig@utahavalanchecenter.org or call 801-231-2170

Also, now is a great time to schedule one of our free avalanche awareness presentations for your group or club. Email or call me and we’ll get you booked before things get too crazy.


This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done.  This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.


This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.