Wind slabs lie at the mid and upper elevations. These slabs have formed throughout this week as continued snowfall, very strong winds, and a warming trend have deposited dense snow on leeward terrain. These slabs could be triggered by backcountry travelers today and could release naturally at high elevations due to additional loading or from failing cornices that have grown considerably during recent days. Below 8000 feet, avalanche activity is less likely except for small wet slides that could occur as rain saturates and weakens the upper portion of the snowpack. Careful snowpack evaluation and conservative decision making is essential today at all elevations as temperatures continue to warm and precipitation continues.
Very strong west to southwest winds over the last four days with gusts to over 60 mph have formed soft to hard wind slabs in leeward terrain. Slab depths could reach two feet at the mid elevations and could exceed three feet at the highest elevations.
A few scattered snow showers could linger overnight as the upper level trough shifts eastward. On Saturday, expect partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies as flow aloft veers to the northwest. Overnight lows in the mountains will drop into the mid teens before rebounding to near 30 during the day. Westerly to northwesterly ridgetop winds will decrease to 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard at the higher elevations is expected to be CONSIDERABLE on Saturday. Skiers and riders venturing into steep, avalanche-prone terrain could trigger dense wind slabs formed over the last week. These slides are most likely to range in depth from one to three feet if failure occurs on density breaks within the recent snowfall. However, as today’s natural event illustrates, slab depths could be in excess of four feet in some areas. Sunshine and warm afternoon temperatures will increase the likelihood of triggering these slides as the day progresses. If a hard freeze occurs overnight at the lower elevations, the likelihood of avalanche activity will greatly diminish.
