Avalanche forecast

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

  • Alpine
  • Treeline
  • Below treeline
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

In the wind zone, at and above treeline you'll find MODERATE avalanche danger. Human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted, leeward slopes, especially those facing the north half of the compass.

And here's something to consider... if you're getting into steep, technical terrain, even a small slide can knock you off your ride, potentially slam you into a tree, and deliver a season ending injury... or worse.

Lose some elevation and you lose most of the problem. Mid and low elevation wind sheltered terrain offers generally LOW avalanche danger.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Nothing too alarming, but an overnight data dump from Windy Peak (10,662') illustrates a slight uptick in westerly winds early this morning.

    Today's avalanche problems are straight-forward and limited to terrain in the wind zone-

    As winds increase, you'll want to be on the lookout for any fresh wind drifts that form on steep, leeward slopes and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. You can easily avoid triggering a fresh slab by avoiding the problem. Simply look for and steer clear of fat, rounded pillows of snow, especially if they sound or feel hollow like a drum. And you don't have to ride blind... tweak small test slopes like road cuts to see how they're reacting before tagging big terrain or committing to pre-planned objectives.

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Recent Activity

A few shallow wind drifts were triggered on steep, leeward terrain in the wind zone yesterday, otherwise no significant avalanche activity to report.

Observations, trip reports, and avalanches found here.

Snow and Weather

Nowcast-

High clouds drape the region this morning and a snow flurry or two drifts by as a slightly disorganized system moves across the area. Temperatures are cool, registering in the single digits and mid teens, while west and southwest winds blow 15-25 mph along the high ridges. Riding and turning conditions are quite good, though our big, open terrain in the alpine took a bit of a hit from Tuesday nights northeast wind. However, lose some elevation, head to wind sheltered terrain and you're rewarded with soft, settled, creamy snow.

Forecast-

Mostly cloudy skies are on tap with light snow developing throughout the day. Just a couple inches of snow stacks up by sunset. West and southwest winds bump into the 20's and 30's along the high peaks and temperatures climb into the low 20's with overnight lows dipping into the teens.

Futurecast-

A better shot of snow slides through the region late tonight through Friday, lingering into early Saturday morning. I'm cautiously optimistic for storm totals in the 5"-10" range before high pressure builds over the Uinta's, bringing dry, warm weather through Sunday.

Looking for real-time temps, snow, or wind?

Click HERE and then on the "western Uinta" tab for western Uinta specific, weather station network.

Additional Info

The big melt down is in full swing, but don't let a little asphalt discourage you. Gain some elevation, seek out low angle wind sheltered terrain, and you're rewarded with soft settled snow... and a couple hundred turns to boot :)

I will update this forecast by 7:00 AM tomorrow, Friday, March 26th.

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

If you see or trigger an avalanche or just wanna let me know what you're seeing you can reach me directly at 801-231-2170 or [email protected]

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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