Isolated pockets of shallow wind slab and loose snow sluffs involving the new snow that fell yesterday could be human triggered in very steep terrain at the upper elevations. The sensitivity of these pockets of wind slab and loose snow sluffs will increase as temperatures warm.
At the upper elevations small pockets of wind slab up to a foot in depth could be human triggered in steep wind loaded avalanche starting zones. These soft, surface slabs were formed by strong west-southwest winds and lie upon firm old snow surfaces.
Unsettled weather will continue tonight and tomorrow with periods of scattered showers. Precipitation will mainly be in the form of snow overnight before transitioning to valley rain and mountain snow during the day. Nighttime lows in the mountains will be in the low to mid 20s before rising into mid 30s in the afternoon. Westerly ridgetop winds will back to the southwest at 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be LOW on Friday. Backcountry travelers venturing into the very steep, wind loaded avalanche terrain above 9,000 feet might be able to trigger isolated pockets of wind slab six to eighteen inches deep. While relatively small, these slides could carry skiers and riders over cliff bands or into terrain traps.
