Rising temperatures will promote further avalanche activity in Rogers Pass. Until things cool down and the winds abate, expect hazardous avalanche conditions to continue.
Avoid exposure to all avalanche terrain.
A persistent weak layer is buried 80-120cm deep. This persistent weak layer is made up of surface hoar at treeline and below. On solar aspects in the alpine and treeline this PWL is a suncrust. Storm slabs could step down to these layers boosting the avalanche sizes!
Heavy snowfall, strong winds, and rising temperatures will create a reactive storm slab. Expect this storm slab to be failing naturally and very sensitive to human triggering. Avalanches will likely be large and running full path.
With the ongoing storm, a natural avalanche cycle to size 3.5 is currently underway in Rogers Pass and will continue into Tuesday.
Recent MIN reports show a number of avalanche occurrences. A group heading to the Asulkan hut triggered an avalanche that involved 3 people, one who was mostly buried. Read about that here.
Neighboring operations are reporting both reactive windslab and persistent slab problems that are producing avalanches up to size 3.5!
Warm temps and heavy snowfall has created a widespread storm slab. This is perched atop wind slabs in the Alpine and exposed Treeline areas.
Below this week's storm snow, a layer of surface hoar is buried 80-120cm deep in sheltered areas at treeline & below. On solar slopes, the storm snow sits over a crust which is also acting as failure plan for human triggered avalanches.
Heavy snowfall continues Monday night while the temps rise into Tuesday.
Tonight: Snow, 20-25cm. Alp Low -3°C. Winds SW 30 km/h gusting to 45. Freezing level (FZL) 1500m
Tues Flurries, 5-10cm. Alp high 1°C. Winds SW 30-45km/h. FZL 2500m
Wed Mainly cloudy. Alp high 4°C with a weak inversion. Winds SW 30-40km/h. FZL 1900m
Thurs Cloudy with sunny periods. Alp high -1°C. Winds NW 15km/h. FZL 900m.
