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Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Tuesday morning, December 13, 2022
DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS EXIST!!
The avalanche danger rating is CONSIDERABLE today. Human triggered avalanches are likely and can be triggered from a distance.
Continue to avoid being on or below slopes steeper than 30˚.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
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Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: The storm on Monday did slightly better than I hoped. Snow totals averaged 8 inches in most higher locations but a number of locations were in the 10 to 11" range. It seems that the northern end of the Skyline did better than the southern end. There was some wind with the storm and some drifting of the new snow in exposed terrain. Wind direction varied from the southwest and northwest. Temperatures were in the mid teens Monday and have dropped into the low teens. Riding conditions are top notch with plenty of fresh powder.
Mountain Weather: Light snowfall started up again this morning. We should see periods of snow today with a few more inches stacking up. Temperatures will remain in the teens and the wind should be fairly light in speed from the northwest. We've got a few more days of cloudy weather with chances for snow (mainly Thursday) then it looks like things clear up for the weekend. The next significant storm looks like around Dec 23.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
We continue to pile snow on top of the buried sugary faceted snow that formed in November. The avalanches will get larger with each new load of snow. The weak layer of snow is going to remain unstable for some time to come and continue to produce dangerous avalanche conditions. That is why we refer to these types of layers as Persistent Weak Layers. All you can do is stick to lower angle slopes. If not, it's just a game of Russian Roulette.
For a more detailed look into the current situation, check out this 18 minute video where UAC forecasters discuss the conditions for northern and central Utah.
General Announcements
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.