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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Thursday morning, February 22, 2024
The range is phat and white... yeah it looks and feels good to go, but multiple weak layers exist and avy danger is tricky-
In mid and upper elevation terrain, you'll find CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY, especially on steep, wind drifted slopes facing the north half of the compass. Any slide triggered has the potential to fail on weaker layers of snow, now buried several feet deep. Once initiated, today's avalanches can easily boss you around, will most definitely roll you, and in some cases deliver a season ending blow.
In addition, several weak layers varying in thickness, strength, and deceptive personality lurk in the snowpack. Lower elevation shady slopes, along with sunny aspects near and above treeline is where you'll encounter MODERATE avalanche danger and human triggered slides are POSSIBLE on steep slopes.
Here's your exit strategy-
You wanna avoid avalanches completely? Well, you came to the right place!
The Uintas have plenty of roly-poly, low elevation, low angle terrain, especially slopes facing the south half of the compass where you'll find LOW avalanche danger
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
We are seeking a passionate individual to join us as Executive Director of the nonprofit Utah Avalanche Center. Click here for more information.
Also... please join the UAC and Inspired Summit Adventures for the grand opening of our new Transceiver Training Park at Pinebrook, Sunday, February 25, from 3:00-6:00PM.
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- One last gasp of storminess overnight delivers a couple extra inches of low density, chin tickling snow. Storm totals since Monday aren't earth shattering, yet 20" of snow with nearly 2" of H20 evenly pastes the range with a thick coat of white paint. Wax on... wax off at o'dark thirty, as a nearly full, an aptly named Snow Moon peaks out from behind moth-eaten clouds. Cold air filtered into the region overnight and temperatures dipped into the teens and low 20's while winds blowing from the northwest spin ridgetop anemometers in the 10-20 mph range. Riding and turning conditions are about as good as it gets!
Forecast- As the recent long duration run of storminess exits the arena, look for clearing skies, and generally light west and northwest winds blowing in the teens and low 20's near the peaks. Temperatures climb into the low 30's and overnight lows dip into the mid 20's.
Futurecast- A clearing trend has its sights set to wrap up the workweek and a stunning weekend is on tap. And then the main act... the warm before the storm with mild temperatures, southwest winds, and dense heavy snow late Monday. A cold front clobbers the region early Tuesday. More deets to follow, but I'd be getting my chores done before this one slides into the region.
Recent Avalanches
Triggered from a distance, the narrative from this remotely triggered slide above the Mill Hollow reservoir pretty much sums up the less than straight-forward avy conditions we're up against right now.
Breaking deeper, wider, and into old snow, avy-savvy, Inspired Summit Adventure guide Wes Shirey noted yet another large, natural slide near Wolf Creek in Neeley Bowl. Southerly winds light this place up and Monday's cow-tippers were no exception. 4' deep and 200' wide, this slide is a repeater and failed on weak, old, sugary snow. More deets found HERE.
For all Uinta observations and recent avalanche activity click HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Follow the arrows and you'll find the slab. Winds blowing left (windward) to right (leeward) create very sensitive and unpredictable cornice, whilst whipping up drifts on the leeward side of ridges
Yesterday's fresh drifts were hyper sensitive to a riders additional weight and wind slabs cracked well out in front of skis, boards, and sleds. Though not quite as hair trigger, today's drifts are camouflaged by overnight snow and they'll be hard to detect. Found mostly on the leeward side of mid and upper elevation ridges, I wouldn't be too surprised to find a drift or two around terrain features like chutes or gully walls. In any case, I'd continue to look for and avoid fat, rounded slopes.
Avalanche Problem #2
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Recent new snow stacks up on a variety of old snow surfaces and is becoming more reactive as it settles into a cohesive storm slab. Marks highlights the setup above.
The new snow that piled up since early February may fracture and produce a slab avalanches 1-3 feet deep. New snow slabs dot the landscape and will continue reacting to our additional weight today.
On shaded slopes, there is layer of buried surface hoar about 3 feet deep. It is not everywhere; however, Mark found it yesterday in the Mill Hollow zone. We haven't gotten any reports of avalanches on this layer, but it's hard to ignore.
On sunny slopes, there is a thin layer of facets on top of a heat crust that was buried 12"-18" deep on Valentine's day. Recent avy activity has us considering it guilty until proven otherwise.
Avalanche Problem #3
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Old layers of faceted snow near the ground can still produce a hard slab avalanche like this one last weekend in upper Chalk Creek
Even though the odds of triggering one of these slides have gone way down, the consequences remain severe. Common terrain theme is.... steep, rocky, north facing terrain with a thin, weak snow pack are likely suspects. You can trigger a deep, nasty slide form a thin portion of the snowpack like around a rock or bush, barely hidden under the snow.
Becoming more the exception of the rule, I wouldn't take my eyes of the prize... once triggered, these are season ending avalanches
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 Thursday, February 22nd this forecast will be updated by 0700 Friday, February 23rd, 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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