Loose Wet
- Hochgebirge
- Waldgrenze
- Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
- Wahrscheinlichkeit
- Possible
- Größe
- 1
Air temperature inversion conditions kept overnight lows well above freezing last night in most locations at the mid and upper elevations. Skies were clear so a decent, but likely superficial snow surface refreeze is expected to have occurred from radiational cooling of the snowpack last night. By the late morning hours, this surface refreeze will be gone in sun exposed areas and a loose wet avalanche problem will exist for the rest of the day. Avalanche size is expected mostly at D1 with up to size D2 possible in areas where the upper snowpack is less consolidated.
Monitor snow surface melt throughout the day. The wetter and softer the upper snowpack becomes, the more likely it is for loose wet avalanches to occur. Once surface snow is more than a couple of inches deep, it’s time to exit avalanche terrain or move to an aspect with a firmer snow surface. Small loose wet avalanches could still have undesirable consequences in our relatively thin snow cover conditions as there are plenty of obstacles and hazards to hit.