Although the storm did not bring the anticipated moisture, several inches of new snow and strong west winds have formed new wind slabs on the surface of a snowpack that contains deeper instabilities. These new slabs will be sensitive to skiers and riders in steep wind loaded areas at the mid and upper elevations. The potential also exists to trigger deeper persistent slabs if a particularly weak spot in the snowpack is impacted or if larger loads such as groups of people or snow machines are present. Make travel decisions by carefully evaluating the snowpack relative to specific terrain. Avalanches are unlikely at low elevations except for shallow isolated pockets in very steep terrain.
New wind slabs with depths of six to ten inches could be triggered in steep wind loaded avalanche terrain at the higher elevations. These slabs will become more sensitive today as temperatures increase and they are affected by periods of direct sunlight.
In steep avalanche terrain, the chance continues for a single person to trigger slabs that formed last Wednesday and Thursday with slab depths to eighteen inches. The slight chance also continues for deeper slabs involving snow that was buried in November. These larger slabs will require significant loading to cause failure and could have depths of three feet.
High elevation snow flurries will diminish overnight as cloud cover decreases. Skies will be partially clear in the morning and increasing cloudy during the day. Temperatures will fall into the teens overnight and rise into the 30s during the day. Westerly winds will relax from 20 to 15 miles per hour and back to the southwest.At the mid and upper elevations skiers and riders could trigger dense surface slabs 6 to 24 inches deep. Deeper slabs to 3 feet in depth could also be triggered by the weight of a person or from the release of a surface slab. Avalanches are unlikely below an elevation of 7,500 feet except on isolated terrain features. Carefully evaluate terrain and the snowpack.
