Wet slides will be the primary concern today. Overnight, cloud cover inhibited radiation cooling, mountain temperatures barely dipped below freezing and valley lows were above freezing. Skiers and riders might also be able to trigger a shallow pocket of dry soft slab in steep avalanche terrain at the higher elevations. Daytime warming, along with any extended periods of sunshine, will make these slabs more susceptible to failure. Get an early start, monitor the breakdown of melt-freeze crusts, and transition to colder terrain or head back to the parking lot if conditions warrant.
As the day warms, the likelihood for wet slides will be on the rise. Shallow wet loose sluffs involving the recent snowfall will be possible at the higher elevations. Lower down, in terrain where the snowpack is close to being isothermal, wet slides could gouge down to the ground, and possibly release as a wet slab. Any breaks in cloud cover will exacerbate this problem.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )In the mountains, a few light, scattered snow showers will be possible overnight and on Friday as Westerly flow aloft brings limited Pacific moisture and cloud cover to the region. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid-twenties before rising to near freezing in the afternoon. Valley temperatures will drop to near freezing tonight before climbing back into the upper 40s during the day. Southwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 10 to 20 miles per hour.In the mountains, below freezing temperatures overnight will result in mostly stable conditions on Friday morning. As the day warms, the hazard could increase to Moderate if breaks in cloud cover occur. Shallow wet slides involving the recent snowfall will be possible on aspects that receive sunshine. The chance for skiers and riders to trigger small pockets of soft slab in high elevation, northerly starting zones will also increase with daytime warming. With valley lows only dropping to around freezing, along with the presence of cloud cover, the general avalanche hazard is expected to remain Moderate down low. There, wet slides that could gouge down to the ground will continue to be possible overnight and through the day on Friday. Get an early start, monitor the breakdown of melt- freeze crusts, and transition to shaded terrain if conditions warrant.
