Front Range

A potent spring storm will increase the avalanche danger across the Northern Mountains on Friday. Snow totals could reach 2 feet by Saturday.

You can easily trigger an avalanche where you find more than about a foot of snow on steep slopes, like below ridges, in gullies, and behind convex rollovers. Avoid steep slopes where the new snow forms cohesive slabs. These can be softer than you expect. Look out for cracking in the snow as you travel and use safe test slopes to tell you about how well the new snow is sticking to steep slopes. You can always find safer travel on low-angle slopes.

Even though the winds are relatively light, they veer to the east, so you should look out for drifts in unusual places. Given the relatively light winds combined with cold temperatures, watch out for loose snow sluffs that can knock you off your feet in extreme terrain.