Up to a foot of dense snow with over an inch of moisture has fallen at the mid and upper elevation since Sunday night. This new snow lies upon hard crusts with areas of surface hoar on that crust. Yesterday small surface slabs were easily triggered by skiers on steep slopes. Some of these slabs were remotely triggered or released sympathetically. These slabs will be bigger today and could be human triggered in steep terrain. At the lower elevations loose wet slides are possible in isolated areas on very steep slopes where rain has fallen and the snowpack is isothermal.
At the mid and upper elevations dense surface slabs up to two feet in depth could be human triggered in steep terrain. These slabs were formed by southwest winds and are likely to fail on hard crusts and faceted snow formed during the recent dry period and in isolated areas have some potential to step down to a layer of buried surface hoar that formed in mid January.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning, which is in effect until 11 AM on Wednesday. Moderate to heavy snowfall will continue overnight before beginning to taper during the morning hours. Light, scattered snow showers will remain possible during the remainder of the day. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the upper teens before rising a few degrees during the day. Westerly ridgetop winds will range from 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be CONSIDERABLE on Wednesday. Recently developed wind slabs, formed by southwesterly to westerly ridgetop winds, have increased in depth and volume over the last two days. These slabs, which range from one to two feet deep, lie upon firm crusts and weak, faceted snow. On Wednesday, skiers and riders are likely to trigger these slabs, and they might also release naturally. Due to the density of these slabs, the consequences of being caught are higher than typical slabs of these depths.
