Loose Wet
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Likely
- Größe
- 1–2
Recent Avalanches: There were several small avalanches reported on Thursday, two of which failed on buried weak layers about 2' deep. These were on the North side of Tincan in Todd’s Bowl, Magnum, and on Taylor Pass.
Today will be the warmest sunny day we've seen this spring, and we're expecting to see Loose Wet avalanche activity pick up as snow surfaces melt through the day. While the size of these avalanches is uncertain, it will be important to pay close attention to changing conditions on solar aspects. We will likely see roller balls and pinwheels starting to roll down sunny slopes midday, especially on slopes with rocks or trees, and below cornices. As surfaces continue to warm and weaken, we will likely see loose wet avalanches later in the afternoon. These will likely happen naturally, and can also be triggered by a person. Pay close attention to overhead terrain, especially sunny slopes in the afternoon.
This problem can easily be managed by moving to shaded terrain as the solar aspects start to fall apart. If you are looking for dry snow later in the day, be aware that there are also buried weak layers lurking below the surface, which may be more likely on shaded aspects (more on this in Problem 2).
Cornice Fall: We may begin to see cornices failing naturally in the heat of the day. These can be large enough to be a hazard on their own, and they also have the potential to trigger larger avalanches as they tumble downslope. Limit spending time below large cornices, and give them plenty of space if you are traveling along ridgetops.
