Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Rapid Warming
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>MInimal wet loose observed over the past two days. Yet, the temperatures and depth of the wet grains in the upper snowpack appear to be a red flag for the possibility of initiating a wet slide that could potentially entrain signifcant amounts of snow on steep slopes nearing 40 degrees and greater during the daytime heating periods. </p>
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>See above. With the temperatures forecast to continue to be unseasonably warm, plus the combination of warmer evenings and a lack of refreeze this problem may esclate over the next 48 hours. And any sustained periods of lack of refreeze may help initiate wet slab potential by the middle of the weekend. </p> <p>Any cornices may be suspect for the next 72 hours. </p> <p>Moderate with daytime heating appears to be danger, and it may escalate by Saturday late afternoon into evening. Fortunately it appears that temperatures will lower by Sunday. </p>
Damp probably isn't the right description for the snow surface and below, and wet or saturated would be a more correct descriptor. Boot pen at least 25 cm by noon, and ski pen ranged from 7 cm to much deeper later in the day. Fortunately the snowpack appears to have made a significant transition towards a true spring pack; and with the last two evenings of clear skies there have been solid refreezes, Mostly supportable "Shmoo" was observed out there on all aspects and elevations. The smoother the surface the better the riding, and old tracks and "clinkers" need to be avoided if possible.
Two items are of note: 1) Stream flows over the past two days have ramped up considerbly and on Wednesday the stream was very muddy. 2) Snowpack temperatures are indicating an isothermal pack as high as 10,300 on northerly aspects.