Heavy precipitation and warm temperatures bring dangerous avalanche conditions. Small avalanches may step down to underlying weak layers.
Weak layers that formed during the January drought may become active again with increased load and warm temperatures. Smaller storm slabs may step down to these layers and become large avalanches.
This snow lands on a variety of surfaces including crust, surface hoar, or wind slab. Expect deeper slabs on lee aspects.
Back off of slopes as temperatures rise and snow surface becomes wet. Watch for signs of warming such as snow shedding off trees and pinwheeling off of steep slopes.
Several small natural and human caused avalanches have been reported since the line of storms has begun. These include wind slabs and storm slabs. Some have stepped down to layers 40 to 60 cm deep in the snowpack.
At lower elevations, small wet snow avalanches have been reported as the warming begins. These are expected to continue and be more prevalent at higher elevations as the warming trend continues.
Wind affected storm snow overlies soft, faceted snow, or surface hoar in sheltered terrain. In exposed terrain, it will overlie a sun crust or wind-affected snow.
A weak layer that was buried at the end of January is down 30 to 80 cm in the snowpack. Depending on where you are, it'll be a combination of different crystals. With crusts on sunny slopes, sugary facets in most places, and surface hoar in sheltered spots.
The mid and lower snowpack is strong and bonded.
Friday Night
Cloudy with up to 10 to 20 mm of mixed precipitation. 40 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level 1500 m.
Saturday
Cloudy with 10 to 25 mm of mixed precipitation. 40 to 70 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to 1800 m.
Sunday
Cloudy with 10 to 20 mm of mixed precipitation. 10 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level 1500 m.
Monday
Cloudy with 20 to 40 mm of mixed precipitation. 30 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Freezing level 1300 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
