Northern San Juan

Avalanche danger will rise as new snowfall accumulates on Wednesday into Thursday. You can trigger an avalanche in the new snow if you find 10 inches of new snow forming a cohesive slab over the old, weak snow surface. If you encounter this much new snow, avoid traveling on terrain steeper than about 35 degrees. The new snow could also make loose snow avalanches easier to trigger and larger in size. The most dangerous slopes face the north half of the compass, where widespread weak snow lurks beneath new snow.

Strong southeasterly winds ahead of the storm also drifted snow onto southwest through west to north-facing slopes, creating shallow slabs at upper elevations. Cracking or collapsing in the snow surface indicates unstable snow and serves as a sign to move to lower-angled terrain.