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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

It's a tale of two distinctly different avalanche dragons-

Cold snow on the polars where MODERATE avalanche hazard exits in the wind zone above treeline and a lingering wind drift or two reacts to our additional weight. Human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep wind drifted slopes, especially those facing the north half of the compass.

Hot pow on the solars as strong April sun and warming temperatures deliver damp snow on sunny slopes. The avalanche danger rises to MODERATE and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE especially during the heat of the day,on all steep, sun exposed, mid and low elevation slopes.

Remember, the sun is high in the sky and if you're feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass.... so is the snow- get out and get after it early before the sun beats you to the punch.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Wind drifts like this one triggered Thursday in Upper Humpy Basin, aren't particularly widespread, but could offer an unwelcome surprise on steep, leeward slopes in the wind zone.

    We're getting close to the sing along, "ride it if it's white" portion of the show, but there's a caveat to the set-list... I bet if you wanted to trigger an avalanche, there's a steep, leeward, upper elevation slope with your name on it. The good news is... there's plenty of terrain you can ride today and not have any issues. In fact, you can have a great day of riding by avoiding steep, wind drifted terrain and by steering clear of fat and rounded pieces of snow or slopes that sound hollow like a drum. Done, done, and done :)

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Wavy wunnels don't have have widges... along with some other distinct features created by strong sunshine on mid and lower elevation sunny slopes.

    The sun is high in the sky and it's penetrating all aspects and nearly all elevations, except for high north. As this weeks storm snow takes a big gulp of Vitamin D it'll take on heat, so you'll wanna consider getting off of and out from under steep, sun baked slopes, especially during the heat of the day.

Special Announcement

My personal March Madness journey brought me to the Final Four of the avalanche forecast season and the shot clock is ticking the days off. I'll wrap up daily forecasts tomorrow, issuing my final avy forecast on Sunday April 9th. For me, it simply means I'll be taking a step back from snow and onto a sunny beach that leads me to my annual spring surf trip to Mexico :)

But don't let your heart be troubled... you'll still be able to tap into Uinta forecast info from the crew that Keeps You On Top of the Greatest Snow on Earth (we've got ya covered).

Recent Activity

Snow-Pro-Bo (Torrey :) with a dispatch from Upper Weber Canyon yesterday reports... "Recent cornice fall triggered avalanches on north and east aspects near & above-treeline. The cornice gouged into the recent snow and entrained a large debris pile."

No other significant avalanche activity to report, but there's plenty of avy activity to peruse if ya wanna geek out. Click HERE to track this years slide activity throughout the range.

Snow and Weather

Nowcast- A weak storm bumps to our north as a waning Pink Moon peaks through a band of thin clouds drifting through the region early this morning. Southerly winds blowing in the 20's and 30's along the high ridges throw a slight buzz-kill our way while mild temperatures, midway through the graveyard shift, register in the mid 20's. Riding and turning conditions are hit or miss... the snow took on heat yesterday and most sunny slopes are shrink-wrapped, offering a Gore-Tex tearing, breakable heat crust. However, don't get bummed at the trailhead, simply switch from solars to polars, because this is the time of year the Uinta's shine. On a go-anywhere base, upper elevation, wind sheltered, north facing terrain is the ticket where you'll still find cold, settled snow.

Forecast- Early morning clouds thin out and a beautiful is slated with mostly sunny skies, decreasing winds, and temperatures climbing into the mid 30's.

Futurecast- Another weak impulse with little chance of precip crosses the area late tonight but clears in time to produce a stunning Easter Sunday in the mountains. High pressure slides into the area Monday, delivering warm temperatures to kick off the work week.

Trip Reports-

Marks avalanche probe gets gobbled up by a thick, phat, deep snowpack in Gardner Fork yesterday.

Detailed trip reports and recent obs are found HERE.

Additional Info

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 03:03 on Saturday April 8th this forecast expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 07:00 Sunday April 9th 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 [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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