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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Sunday morning, January 29, 2023
More snow... more winds... more widespread avy danger-
CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger is found on steep, mid and upper elevation leeward slopes, especially in the wind zone at and above treeline. Fresh wind drifts reactive to our additional weight are LIKELY, especially on slopes with an easterly component to its aspect. Rapidly accumulating storm snow bumps the avalanche danger to MODERATE with human triggered avalanches POSSIBLE on steep, lower elevation slopes around the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow
Nowcast- Yesterday's storm overachieved, especially at lower elevations with snow totals close a foot near the trailheads in the central and northern portions of the range.... think Smith-Moorehouse to Mill Hollow. At o'dark thirty, today's storm is already busy at work to the north of us, but we got a taste of things to come from the sampler plate with 2" of medium density snow overnight. Temperatures register in the single digits and low teens as southwest winds steadily blow in the 30's and haven't taken a break for the past 48 hours. Outstanding riding and turning conditions are the flavor of the day throughout the range.
Forecast- The storm gets underway in the next couple of hours and we should get a quick blast of snow stacking up 6" before suppertime. West and southwest winds blow in the 30's and 40's near the high peaks, but decrease as the day wares on. High temperatures climb into the mid 20's and crater into negative territory overnight under clearing skies.
Futurecast- A few scattered snow showers mill about for early Monday whilst very cold temperatures kick off the work week.
Chad visited Upper Weber Canyon yesterday and reports unusual wind transport and loading in lower elevation terrain. More on his insights and spot on evaluation of the snowpack and avy conditions are found HERE.
Huge thanks for all the great obs streaming in from the eastern front. Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.
Recent Avalanches
A very experienced crew with decades of backcountry knowledge and safe travel practices were surprised yesterday ( as was I ) by a slide they triggered mid-slope, on a low elevation, northwest facing slope in the Mill Hollow zone. Breaking about 18" deep and 70' wide, we suspect the slide ran on a combo of weak, sugary, near surface facets and/or surface hoar. We'll take a look today and report back for tomorrows update.
No other significant recent avalanche activity to report. However, if ya wanna geek out, click HERE to track this years slide activity throughout the range.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
A 24 hour data dump from Windy Peak (10,662') clearly show the evolution of our recent storm
The one-two combo of storm snow and wind created very sensitive drifts reactive to the weight of a rider Saturday and that trend continues today. As today's storm materializes, drifts are gonna become more widespread, more touchy, and could catch you by surprise, breaking deeper and wider than you might expect. Found on mid and upper elevation leeward slopes facing the north half of the compass and cross-loaded in chutes and gullies, both old and newly formed drifts are easy to navigate around by avoidance... simply lose a little elevation, you lose the wind, and you lose the problem.
Avalanche Problem #2
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
If the forecast hold true, storm snow stacks up fast and furious this morning and we can expect small new snow avalanches even at low elevations. I suspect this avalanche problem will settle out rapidly, but a heads up if you're out for a hike, snowshoe, or trail run during the height of the storm.
Additional Information
Weather stations-
And... rime events have severely crippled the Uinta weather station network. I'm working to get it back up and running, but a few stations are found HERE (click weather stations, and then on the Western Uinta tab)
Observations-
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
Issued at 03:37 on Sunday January 29th, this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Monday January 31st, 2023.
Before it gets too crazy, now is the time to book an avalanche awareness presentation for your group, club, or posse. You can reach Craig directly at 801-231-2170 or craig@utahavalanchecenter.org.
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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