Uintas

Fresh storm snow conspires with some rowdy winds, creating CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger on all aspects at and above treeline, especially in the high alpine windzone. Human triggered wind drifts are LIKELY around the dial and any slide triggered may break deeper and wider than you might, especially on slopes facing the north half of the compass. While pockety and becoming harder to initiate, avalanches failing to old snow may produce a slide breaking 2'-4' deep and hundreds of feet wide.

Mid elevation terrain offers MODERATE avalanche danger. Human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted slopes.

It'll be rugged out there today, so why not head to wind sheltered, lower elevation terrain, where you'll find quality riding and LOW avy danger around the compass.

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Andy found yesterday's fresh drifts on the leeward side ridges, rather touchy, though predictably reactive to his additional weight.

All Uinta obs and trip reports can be found here.

Nowcast - Under mostly cloudy skies, light snow started falling right around 01:00. It's a North Slope kinda storm with an evenly distributed 5" of snow and .40 H2O from Trial Lake northward. The south half of the range didn't get invited to this party and storm totals are about half as much. As is much of the case this winter, the headline news are the winds. West and southwest winds blowing in the 30's and 40's take center stage while temperatures register in the teens and low 20's. The snow surface is hit or miss as recent winds have worked much of our open terrain. But with more snow headed our way, perhaps a leisurely start is the ticket. Maybe think about getting some chores done right out of the gates and let a little more snow stack up. I bet a late morning jaunt into mid elevation wind sheltered terrain will yield a solid ROI for your efforts.

Forecast- Look for mostly cloudy skies with one last gasp of snowfall sliding through our area in the next few hours, though I think this storm is a bit of a bust. However, I'm cautiously optimistic we'll squeeze 4"-6" of snow out of this system before clouds begin thinning late in the day. A cold front slides through the Uinta zone later this morning and winds switch to the west and northwest yet remain obnoxious, blowing in the 40's near the high peaks. It'll feel like winter with temperatures hovering in the teens and low 20's. Overnight lows crater into the single digits under clearing skies.

Futurecast- A stray snow shower of two may linger into Sunday, but I'm thinking it'll be a glorious day in the mountains with mostly sunny skies and crisp temperatures. Looking into the weather forecast crystal ball... we're high and dry through the upcoming work week.

Current Conditions-

I know you came for the snow, but you should stick around for the sunsets... they're pretty special too. Thanks Katie for the stunning image.

All Uinta obs and trip reports can be found here.

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, January 11th at 04:00AM 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.