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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Wednesday morning, January 24, 2024
At and above treeline CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists on all slopes, but particularly those facing the north half of the compass. Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY in wind drifted terrain, especially steep, rocky slopes in the wind zone with an easterly component to their aspect. Any slide you trigger today has the potential to break deep and wide... instantly ruining your day.
Look for MODERATE avalanche danger on mid elevation slopes near treeline facing west, southwest, and south, but also on lower elevation shady slopes as well. In either case, dense snow rests on weak, sugary snow and human triggered avalanche are POSSIBLE.
You're looking to eliminate the variability of avy danger yet still get some great riding... aren't ya? Well then, simply steer your snow vehicle towards lower elevation terrain facing the south half of the compass where you'll find LOW avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are UNLIKELY.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
Recent storms delivered unprecedented avy conditions and Extreme danger for the mountains of Northern Utah. Wondering how we got there and where we're going? Well then... you came to the right place!
Please join Craig Gordon (that's me :) this Thursday, January 25th from 6:00-7:30 for a State of the Snowpack presentation at Alpha Coffee's Big Cottonwood Canyon location- 7260 Racquet Club Dr, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- A little wiggle of energy slid through the region overnight delivering a few rain drops to the valleys and a thin coat of white paint in the high country. Under mostly cloudy skies, temperatures hover in the teens and low 20's, while hardly a breath of wind from the southwest spins mountain top anemometers, which register just 5-15 mph near the high peaks. Riding and turning conditions have taken a bit of a hit, though cold, creamy snow is found on wind sheltered, mid and upper elevation shady slopes.
Forecast- Look for a chance of light snow this morning, though we're on a drying trend and we should see partly cloudy skies by about suppertime. Temperatures climb into the low 30's and southerly winds bump up slightly later in the day, yet stay rather well-behaved, blowing in the 20's near the ridges.
Futurecast- A colder, more winter-like system slides through Thursday morning right around sunrise. Not an earth-shattering storm, but a good shot of snow, especially for the North Slope which should stack up 4"-8" by Friday morning. High pressure builds later Friday morning through the weekend. After Friday's refresh, there are no big storms in sight.
The snowpack grew by leaps and bounds since the big January 13th storm roared into town, delivering collosal amounts of snow and Herculean water content. The Uintas are white with settled snow depths averaging of 3-4 feet and some high elevation snowbelt zones registering just over 5 feet. The image above on a northeast facing slope at 9,800' illustrates our current setup. Soft powder on the surface, a hard/dense layer which is the big January storm snow, resting on several layers of facets that you won't know exist unless you dig into the snow and Snoop (dog) around.
Snow summary from NRCS SNOTEL sites:
Chalk Creek #1 (9,171') - 49" snow depth (10.7" total water)
Trial Lake (9,992') - 57" snow depth (10.7" total water)
Wolf Creek Peak (9,796') - 40" snow depth (8.7" total water)
Currant Creek (7,915') - 29" snow depth (6.6" total water)
Daniels-Strawberry (8,008') - 36" snow depth (8.8" total water)
Strawberry Divide (8,123') - 44" snow depth (11.3" total water)
Recent Avalanches
Light was super flat yesterday and this avalanche in the wind zone, above treeline, on a steep Northeast facing slope is difficult to see. None-the-less, here's the wind up and the pitch... with a good thump on the slope, you can knock the legs out from underneath and trigger a slide that breaks to the dirt. A bit of an outlier and you've gotta have all the pieces come together, but when everything aligns, it's clear... the eastern front is No Country for Old Men.
Read more Uinta observations and avalanches HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The biggest clue to avalanches is of course, avalanches! Problem is... you don't look around the range and see avalanches everywhere. In fact, so much of our recent natural avalanche activity was nearly erased with avalanche paths quickly refilling as the January 13th/14th storm raged. So now comes the tricky part... it takes a sharp eye to put together the pattern, size, and scope of our recent avalanche cycle and to get a handle on the characteristics and personality of our current avalanche dragon.
Remember- the persistent layer of weak, sugary snow formed during the mid December dry spell hasn't gone away. In fact, it's now buried several feet deep and a very strong piece of snow, a slab, rests on top. And while the snowpack isn't nearly as active as just a few days ago when it reached its boiling point, we have to remember, it's still simmering. Sure, all the right ingredients have to blend together to trigger a slide today, but just like Emeril in the kitchen, when it all comes together... Bam!... your goose is cooked and you'll be staring down the barrel of a very dangerous avalanche. (disclaimer... no geese were injured or cooked in the making of this metaphor :)
Triggering a slab avalanche on the now buried mid-December drought layer remains likely, especially if you collapse (whoomph) a slope near a thin area of snow (like around a buried rock, boulder, or bushes barely covered with a thin facade of snow).
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Considering a makeover, the ridge formerly known as Windy Peak (10,662') delivers hardly a breath of wind for nearly 12 hours.
Generally calm winds since early in the week. But when we look at last weeks wind, man did it blow... and from all directions, penetrating into terrain we usually consider sheltered. A bit worn out and not nearly as sensitive as recent days, none-the-less, old wind drifts rest on a persistent weak layer and may react to our additional weight.
A good example is this wind slab, intentionally triggered by a couple of skiers this weekend near Wolf Creek Pass (photo - Park and Shirey).
Additional Information
The Uinta weather station network was upgraded this summer and all that real-time info is found HERE. Simply click on "western Uinta" tab and then "weather stations" tab.
We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. So... if you see something, say something. You can reach me directly at craig@utahavalanchecenter.org or 801-231-2170.
Also, if you're looking for more avy education opportunities for yourself, your crew, or your club please don't hesitate to reach out to me and we'll find a presentation, class, or clinic for ya!
General Announcements
CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ
Issued at 0400 on Wednesday, January 24th this forecast will be updated by 0700 Thursday, January 25th, 2024.
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.
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