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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Sunday morning, April 2, 2023
Yesterday's warmth, wind, and strong sunshine draped a cargo net on our snowpack, but it's not completely straight-forward-
In the wind zone, above treeline, you'll find pockets of CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. On steep, rocky, upper elevation slopes, human triggered avalanches are LIKELY. Terrain facing the north half of the compass, especially steep slopes with an easterly component to its aspect have the potential to produce avalanches that'll pack a punch and could easily ruin your day. MODERATE avalanche danger is found near treeline and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow.
Today's exit strategy- Avoid the wind funk... simply steer your snow vehicle towards mid and lower elevation wind sheltered terrain where you'll find soft, creamy snow and predictable avy hazard.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
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Learn how to read the forecast here
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- I hope you got after it yesterday whilst the snow was cold, light, and dry because today it's gonna be a bit wind-jacked and funky. A weak storm bumping to our north, ushered in a band of high clouds last night, keeping a lid on overnight temperatures which currently register in the mid 20's and low 30's. If you think southwest winds have blown steadily in the 30's and 40's for days... you're absolutely correct, and this morning they continue in that spirit. And while ya know I'm a big fan of "any day in the mountains is always better than a day cleaning out the garage", if you're on the fence, it might be the day to make a deposit in the home front karma bank and get some chores off your plate, because a solid storm delivers feet of snow to kick off the workweek :)
Forecast- While we're waiting... today is the warm before the storm. Look for partly cloudy skies this morning with a scattered snow shower or two drifting through the region. High temperatures climb into the 30's while southerly winds are gonna be obnoxious, blowing in the 30's and 40's along the ridges, gusting into 60's near the peaks.
Futurecast- Thickening clouds roll into the region later today and snow begins flying in earnest by sunset, with the storm settling in overnight. It looks like Monday is full on, with heavy snow expected to develop right around sunrise. 12"-18" looks like a good bet by closing bell.
Our good friends at the Salt Lake NWS lay out the timeline for our next series of storms
Big snow and big water deliver big views across the range.
Trip Reports-
Ted was in the Whitney Zone yesterday and reports unreal coverage on a go anywhere base.
Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.
Recent Avalanches
Pieces of cornice peeled off the ridges all day long Saturday, triggering shallow, yet very connected wind drifts on steep leeward slopes in the alpine.
Ted also added an avy-savvy nugget and offers some sage insight from his travels... "There are so many different layers in the snow pack right now with old wind crusts, storm layers and some sun and heat crusts and it is challenging to keep track of all of them."
In addition, plenty of avy activity to peruse 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
Well developed cornice like the ginormi... corni in the image above, are a double edged sword. While great indicators to indicate predominate wind direction and potentially wind drifted terrain, also remember these beasts can unpredictably break in front or behind you and need to be given a huge berth.
Ya know... winds were invented in the Uinta's and with no respite in sight, we'll continue to live up to our not so enviable reputation today. The good news is... Friday's storm snow took a big pull off natures Vitamin D jug, took on heat and is welded in place.The less optimal news is... strong winds continue blowing near the ridges and I think there's a wind drift or two that'll react to our additional weight, but it's gonna be tricky because there aren't in-yer-face signs of unstable snow. In fact, there's plenty of terrain you can ride today and not have any issues. However, if your travels take you into the alpine and you're planning to tag big terrain, remember.... we've had boatloads of snow this week and I bet if you wanted to trigger an avalanche, there's a sustained steep slope that's got your name on it. Now take a moment and think... this isn't Vegas, because the avalanche game is calculated and all about avoidance... not rolling the dice. So for today, you can have a great day of riding by avoiding steep, wind drifted terrain in the wind zone and steering clear of fat and rounded pieces of snow or slopes that sound hollow like a drum.
Additional Information
Weather stations-
And... rime events from January's atmospheric rivers 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 03:17 on Sunday April 2nd this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Monday April 3rd 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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