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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Andrew Nassetta
Issued by Andrew Nassetta on
Tuesday morning, January 21, 2025
MODERATE danger exists on wind-loaded, mid and upper-elevation terrain facing north through southeast. It is POSSIBLE for us to trigger a slab avalanche that could fail into sugary, faceted snow and break deeper and wider than we might expect.
Out of the wind-zone, LOW danger exists at all other aspects and elevations and is met with stellar riding conditions in protected, shady terrain without any overhead hazard.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
  • Please join UAC Forecaster Craig Gordon, Tuesday January 21st from 6:00-7:30 PM at Alpha Coffee in Cottonwood Heights for a FREE, State of the Snowpack presentation. Reserve a spot and find out more details here.
  • Please join the UAC at Deer Valley on January 30th for the 2nd Annual Blizzard Ball Gala. The night will be full of fun including delicious cuisine, live music, an auction, and presentation by Bruce Tremper. More info found here.
Weather and Snow
Nowcast
Another clear morning brings slightly increased temperatures to the region with trailheads hanging around 0℉. West northwest winds blow in the 20's and gust to the 30's creating rugged temps with windchill and temperatures on the high peaks reading in the negatives.
Forecast
For today expect a few scattered clouds to be pushed around by westerly winds gusting into the 30’s at upper elevations. Hope for a high of 20℉ around 10,000’, though windchill may not have us fully feeling the “warm-up”.
Futurecast
A moisture starved wave of weather rolls through mid-week with cold air and wind but looks to lend way to a shot of snow this weekend.
Recent Avalanches
No new avalanches have been reported from the range since January 19th, which you can see in the image above (full ob found here). Certainly a manageable avalanche until you trigger it and it knocks you off your ride into consequential terrain such as cliffs, terrain traps and trees. You can find trip reports and recent slides from across the range and beyond, here.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The last reported avalanche failing on a PWL was over a week ago on Sunday, January 12th. Good news is the snowpack has slowly gotten comfortable in its current state. The tricky part is that while the likelihood of us triggering a nasty persistent slab avalanche has gone down significantly over the past few weeks, the consequences remain severe if we do.
I am still avoiding terrain that has this set-up and am steering clear of suspect slopes that are steep, rocky, and wind-effected where the pack is slightly thinner. Thin spots can be potential trigger points and exist near bushes, rocks, and steep rollovers.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Continued winds in the 20's and 30's have formed hard slabs on mid and upper elevation ridgelines on aspects northwest through north through southeast. Specific to upper elevations ridgelines and terrain features, today's drifts will allow you to get out on slope before breaking above or below us and have the potential to break into deeper layers of the snowpack.
Today's drifts are a manageable and straight-forward avalanche problem with proper terrain choices and travel techniques. Choose clean slope run outs with less consequences like cliffs, rocks, or terrain traps and travel mindfully by exposing one person to the potential hazard at a time.
General Announcements
The Uinta weather station network was upgraded this summer and all that real-time info is found here. Simply click on the "Western Uinta" tab and then the "Weather Stations" tab to find all your weather needs.
We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. So... if you see something, say something. You can reach our team directly by contacting: Craig at craig@utahavalanchecenter.org, 801-231-2170, or Andrew at andy@utahavalanchecenter.org, or 860-460-8142.
General Information
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. This forecast was issued on Tuesday, January 21st at 06:00AM and expires 24 hours after it was issued. We will update the forecast by 0700 AM tomorrow. But, in the meantime reach out to us with questions, or if you see anything in your travels.
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