Avalanche forecast

Moab

Utah Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

  • Alpine
  • Treeline
  • Below treeline
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The avalanche danger is MODERATE today for human triggered avalanches involving wind drifted snow. Look for fresh drifts at upper elevations on slopes facing NW-W-SE. Deeper drifts that formed during the Christmas storm are also still a concern. They'll be stubborn, but if triggered, they'll pack a punch. You'll find these older wind drifts on slopes that face N-NE-E. In these same areas there is also an isolated, or MODERATE danger for avalanches stepping down 2'-4' deep into buried, persistent weak layers of loose, sugary, faceted snow. Areas with steep, rocky, and more radical terrain are the most suspect for this type of avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Slab avalanches involving wind drifted snow remain your primary concern. ENE winds Thu-Fri blew just enough to move snow around at upper elevations, and fresh drifts were formed in odd places on the south and west sides of the compass. They'll be more stable today, but keep an eye out for fresh deposits identified by their smooth rounded, "pillowy" appearance, and look for signs of instability such as cracking in the snow surface. Deeper drifts that formed during the Christmas storm are also still a concern. They'll be stubborn, but if triggered, they'll pack a punch. You'll find these older wind drifts on slopes that face N-E-E

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2

    The most recent snow does not seem to have reactivated persistent weak layers as much I had expected however, the underlying snowpack structure is poor, and I still experienced a few collapses this week. The bottom line is that though it's increasingly unlikely, it's still possible to trigger an avalanche 2'-4' deep breaking down into weak, sugary, faceted snow. The danger is most acute in areas of steep, rocky, north facing terrain that has a weak, sugary, underlying snowpack, and I'm going to continue to avoid those areas.

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Recent Activity

I haven't heard of or observed any avalanche activity since Christmas. You can read about the most recent activity here.

Snow and Weather

Skies are clear, northwesterly ridge top winds are 10 -15 mph, and 10,000' temperatures are near 20 degrees. The last day of 2019 should be gorgeous for most of the day before clouds move in ahead of the next storm system. Today look for mostly sunny skies, light to moderate NW winds, and high temperatures in the low 20's. Snowfall should start after 10:00 pm tonight and continue into Monday. Up to 6" are possible.

It's been a great week in the La Sal Mountains and the Christmas storm improved conditions dramatically. Above treeline, ENE-NW winds have crusted the snow surface as well as deposited fresh wind drifts, and stiff slabs in odd places. However, yesterday my partner Chris Benson and I found good powder conditions in the alpine just by losing a bit of elevation.

New snow totals in Gold Basin (10,000')

Snow totals at the Geyser Pass Trailhead (9600')

Wind, temperature, and humidity on Pre Laurel Peak (11,700')

National Weather Service point forecast.

It was a gorgeous day up in the mountains yesterday and another one is on tap. Winds have had their way with exposed surfaces at upper elevations but good powder conditions can still be found in more sheltered areas.

Additional Info

Grooming info:

Trails were groomed on Friday.

General Announcements

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This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

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