Additional snow, wind, and warm temperatures on Thursday night may form touchy storm slabs reactive to human triggers at treeline and above.
Additional snow, wind, and warm temperatures on Thursday night may form touchy storm slabs reactive to human triggers at treeline and above.
Forecast rain may initiate a loose wet avalanche cycle.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Rain (snow above roughly 2000 m.); 10-20 mm / Strong, southwesterly winds / Alpine low -1 C / Freezing level 2200 m.
FRIDAY: Rain (snow above roughly 1500 m.); 5-10 mm / Moderate, southwesterly winds / Alpine high -3 C / Freezing level 1700 m.
SATURDAY: Sunny / Light, northwesterly winds / Alpine high -2 C / Freezing level 1800 m.
SUNDAY: Sunny / Light, northwesterly winds / Alpine high -1 C / Freezing level 2100 m.
No new avalanches were reported on Wednesday. However, avalanche activity is expected to increase on Friday with the forecast rain/snow and strong winds.
On Tuesday, a natural size 2.5 persistent slab avalanche was reported on a west aspect at 2750 m. Additionally, a skier triggered size 2 storm slab avalanche was reported on an east aspect at 2700 m.
On Monday, a skier remotely triggered a size 2 storm slab from 10 m. away on a steep north facing feature in the alpine that was 20-30 cm. deep.
New snow/rain on Thursday is adding to the 20-40 cm recent snow which overlies a crust everywhere except high elevation, north facing terrain where preserved surface hoar (weak, feathery crystals) may be present in isolated locations. A similar layer buried in early April is down 40-50 cm. Smaller storm slab avalanches may step down to one of these deeper weak layers.
Below treeline, snow is disappearing rapidly.
