Ad
The National Forest Service Logo
icon-add Observation
Forecasts
Logan Ogden Salt Lake Provo Uintas Skyline Moab Abajos Weather Archives How to read the forecast
Observations & Avalanches
Submit Observation Observations Explorer All Observations Avalanches Fatalities Weather Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Class List UAC Class List Online Classes Resources and Tutorials Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills
Events
Store
About
Contact Who we are Core Values Staff Board of Directors Past Forecasters Sponsors Annual Reports Sign In
Blog
icon-add Observation
Donate / Join

Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Tuesday morning, January 5, 2021
New dense wind blown snow landing on top of old weak sugary snow keeps the avalanche danger in the CONSIDERABLE range on steep slopes. West north and east facing slopes in the mid and upper elevations hold the weakest old snow. There is still not really enough snow for many people to get into the steeper terrain but when there's a will, there's a way. Continue to use caution if you are screwing around in steep terrain.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: A small storm is moving through this morning and the mountains have picked up about 3 inches of dense snow. The west wind is strong along the highest peaks. It doesn't look too windy in the mid elevations. Temperatures are in the low 20s.
Mountain Weather: We might see another inch or so of snow this morning as the storm moves out. High elevation wind will remain strong through the morning and decrease as the day goes on. Temperatures will cool into the teens by late this afternoon. The next small storm moves through Friday night and it's currently looking like it should bring 2 to 4 more inches of snow.
Ad
Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Here are the red flags for today:
  • Dense new snow
  • Strong wind
  • Poor underlying snowpack structure
Although we didn't add all that much new snow, the wind will blow this dense new snow and create scattered drifts. It will be dangerous where these drifts pile up on steep slopes that have areas with old weak snow.
The snowpack is not in good shape. The longer we go without adding significant amounts of snow, the weaker the existing shallow snowpack becomes. During fieldwork on Monday, my partner and I were noticing more and more places where the pack is becoming unsupportable to skiers. In other words, our skis are starting to punch through the entire pack. Not good. All this loose snow is bound to become troublesome if we ever get any real storms.
Additional Information
SKYLINE AVALANCHES & OBSERVATIONS
CAMERAS & WEATHER STATIONS
INSTAGRAM: SKYLINE_AVALANCHE
FACEBOOK: SKYLINE AVALANCHE
FORECAST EMAIL
PREVIOUS FORECASTS
< Previous forecast
Next forecast >