Northern San Juan

An Avalanche Watch is in effect for areas surrounding Ouray, Telluride, and Red Mountain Pass. Heavy snowfall and southerly winds will develop dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended on Wednesday.

Expect worsening avalanche conditions Tuesday as the day progresses. You can trigger a dangerous avalanche where storm snows are drifted into cohesive slabs on upper elevation slopes facing northwest through northeast to southeast. Give steep terrain above you a wide buffer. Use caution on steep slopes below treeline where you find a cohesive layer of new snow more than about eight inches thick. Slopes less than about thirty degrees steepness without steep terrain above provide safer options.