Uintas

Game on... strong winds coupled with heavy snow begin to tip the scales and the avy danger is gonna get real-

Today, you'll find pockets of HIGH avalanche danger in the windzone at and above treeline. Both human triggered and natural avalanches are VERY LIKELY especially on steep, rocky, leeward slopes, and particularly in terrain facing the north half of the compass with an easterly component to its aspect.

Mid elevation northerly terrain is getting in on the act where you'll find CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are LIKELY on steep wind drifted terrain.

Low elevation shady slopes near our trailheads are pathetically weak and offer MODERATE avalanche danger. I suspect it won't take much additional weight in order to provoke early season snow near the ground and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep slopes.

Looking for predictable avalanche danger? Well then, you came to the right place! Simply switch to terrain facing the south half of the compass where you'll find straightforward avy conditions and generally LOW avy hazard. But tread lightly... it's thin.

Not a particularly large piece of snow triggered yesterday on a steep, wind drifted slope, but the writing is on the wall. I'm focusing on the characteristics of where the avalanche failed... on weak snow near the ground. With more snow and wind overnight, I think today's avalanches are gonna break deeper and wider and can easily roll us.

Local snow-pros and all around rock stars, Bo Torrey and Adam Davis, took some time off the concert scene to visit Wolf Creek Pass Thursday and have some great insight found here.

In addition, a close call occurred on Christmas Eve in the Logan area mountains, resulting in a complete burial. But fortunately, a quick thinking companion used his avalanche transceiver for the rescue, resulting in only minor injuries to the buried rider. The avalanche was 2 feet deep and 500 feet wide.

If you're looking for info, travel obs, and avalanche obs from the western Uinta range and from around the state, well then, you came to the right place... simply click here!

Nowcast- Skies clear briefly as the last flakes of snow get squeezed out of Friday's storm, leaving an evenly distributed 7" of snow with .65" H20 across the range. West and southwest winds partied through most of Friday, blowing 30-50 mph near the high peaks, but the ridgelines got complaints from neighboring peaks, put a lid on the festivities, called it a night around 11:00, and backed off into the mid 20's where they sit early this morning. Temperatures start their day in the mid teens.

Forecast- A decaying piece of Atmospheric River slides through the region today and that'll be good news for the Uinta's. Yeah, AR's tend to light up the eastern front, especially the Trial Lake area. Look for a good shot of snow to develop as the day progresses with a foot of snow a good bet by days end. West winds blowing 40-60 mph are gonna make for rugged travel, especially near the ridges. Temperatures warm into the low 30's and dip into the mid 20's overnight.

Futurecast- Look for a break in the action overnight into Sunday. One last gasp of storminess is left in the queue and should slide in late Sunday into Monday morning. Colder air helps deliver just a couple inches of low density snow.

Our good friends and longtime partners at Salt Lake's National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for a good portion of Northern Utah which of course, includes the western Uinta's.

Travel & Riding Conditions-

A little snow goes a long way and riding is just starting to come on. But remember... it's still lean and there's plenty of gear wrecking obstacles buried just below the snow surface. So tread lightly, or as local snow-pro and rider extraordinaire Andy Nassetta says... "keep 'er on all fours."

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 [email protected], 801-231-2170, or Andrew at [email protected], 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 Saturday, December 28th at 04:30 AM 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.