Loose Wet
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 1
Even though the temperatures should not climb quite as high today as the last few days, daytime warming and some sunshine should be enough to melt through last night's weak refreeze. This warming and melting will allow enough wet snow to form that loose wet snow avalanches will be possible again today. Since the snowpack has already been through 9 days of melt-freeze cycles, these loose wet problems have become smaller and more isolated. Small human triggered roller balls, pinwheels, and point releases should represent the majority of the loose wet avalanches today, but a few of them could still entrain enough snow to cause problems for backcountry travelers in isolated areas or extreme terrain especially in areas where the melt freeze snow still has not transitioned to corn snow. E-SE-S-SW aspects should hold the best potential for loose wet problems. Depending on the amount of cloud cover today, some wet snow could start to form on N-NE aspects as well.
Stepping off your equipment and sinking into wet snow above your boots can indicate that enough wet snow exists on a slope for a loose wet avalanche problem. Small loose wet instabilities like roller balls and pinwheels can foreshadow larger loose wet snow issues as well. These clues or other signs of wet snow issues mean that it is time to find a more frozen slope or switch to a different afternoon activity.