Avalanche forecast

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

  • Alpine
  • Treeline
  • Below treeline
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Highlights

Heads up... the avalanche danger is more pronounced around Bald Mountain which received the most snow from Monday's storm

Strong, spring sunshine will cook Monday's cold snow and the danger for wet avalanches increases to MODERATE as the day progresses. HUMAN TRIGGERED WET SNOW AVALANCHES ARE POSSIBLE on steep sun baked slopes, especially during the heat of the day.

Upper elevation terrain in the wind zone, at and above treeline, delivers MODERATE avalanche danger on steep, wind drifted, leeward slopes and HUMAN TRIGGERED DRY SNOW AVALANCHES ARE POSSIBLE. Steep, rocky terrain facing the north half of the compass remains suspect and while more the exception than the rule, any avalanche that breaks to weak layers of snow near the ground results in a deep, dangerous avalanche that'll instantly ruin your day.

Mid and low elevation terrain, especially slopes facing the north half of the compass offer generally LOW avalanche danger. Remember- low avalanche danger doesn't mean no avalanche danger, so please continue practicing your safe travel rituals and make sure you carry and know how to use your avalanche rescue gear.... transceiver, shovel, and probe.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    The sun is high in the sky and Monday nights storm snow will take on heat fast. If you find yourself feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass, so is the snow. It doesn't mean you need to blow off a good spring powder day, but it does mean that if you find the snow getting damp, you should switch to a cooler aspect. And remember, while slow moving, wet avalanches stack up huge piles of tree snapping debris, so you'll want to avoid terrain traps like gullies and road cuts.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    3

    On Sunday, Micheal Davis and his crew rode near the Mirror Lake Highway and Reids Peak where they found stable snow and a good looking snowpack. Micheal has an excellent ob posted HERE.

    The snowpack is getting comfortable in its own skin and that's good news in terrain where the snowpack is deep. However, snow is a curious medium and all we need to do is find one inconsistency or a shallow zone, maybe around a rock or bush, collapse the pack, and now we've got a bigger slide than we might've bargained for. So my safe travel strategy is to think about suspect terrain I want to continue avoiding and that includes steep, rocky terrain and slopes that avalanched near the ground earlier in the season. And here's something to consider... we've got a "go anywhere" base, so if you're getting into steep, technical terrain, remember that even a small slide can knock you off your ride, slam you into a tree, and throw a curve ball at your day.

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Recent Activity

Avy pros Bill and Dave reported that just a little bit of morning sun instantly brought the cold storm snow to life. More on their travels found HERE.

Observations, trip reports, and avalanches found here.

Snow and Weather

Trenchtown rock... Ted found over-the-hood and over-the-head riding yesterday around Bald Mountain. More on his travels and an excellent ob found HERE.

Nowcast-

Wow... what an over-achiever! While most of the range stacked up nearly 10" of snow, the terrain around Mirror Lake was the catchers mitt, piling up nearly 24"of cold, white, fluff. In the wake of yesterday's big storm, skies are partly cloudy and temperatures in the teens and low 20's. Along the high ridges winds are light and variable, blowing less than 10 mph. Last nights fresh coat of white paint improves both riding conditions and spirits, but get after it early, cause it's spring ya know and conditions change rapidly.

Forecast-

A stunning day is on tap. Expect mostly sunny skies, light winds, and high temperatures climbing into the 30's.

Futurecast-

Dry and warming through the end of the work week. By Friday afternoon, winds increase and temperatures soar ahead of a good shot of snow slated for the weekend.

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

I will update this forecast by 7:00 AM tomorrow, Thursday, March 18th.

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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