There's still snow up there if you aren't one to let cloudy skies and rain stop you! Be ready to manage variably crusty or isothermal snow and lingering cornices if you head out.
Large cornices still loom over some ridgelines and they won't hang on forever. Be aware of these overhead hazards and stay well back from overhanging cornices on ridgelines.
Cloud cover and light rain may keep the snowpack closer to an isothermal state than it's been recently. Other than slushy snow creating difficult travel conditions, it also makes wet loose avalanches possible on steep slopes.
A cornice failure was observed near the Lions on the North Shore at around noon on Monday, believed to have failed within 12 hours of that time. Check out the report HERE.
Otherwise, no recent avalanches have been reported and little activity is expected under current conditions.
Observations are starting to taper off in many regions. If you get out into the backcountry, post a MIN!
Cloud and light rain will work against crust recovery Friday night, keeping the snowpack a bit closer to an isothermal state Saturday. This follows recent melt-freeze cycles and more inviting travel conditions atop the region's well settled snowpack. Rain should finally affect the bits of dry snow hiding on our highest north-facing slopes.
Minimal forecast rain doesn't promise much change, but travelers should still watch for isothermal conditions. Other than making travel difficult, wet loose avalanche danger also develops when this condition is in play, a counterpoint to slip-and-fall hazards when the surface is frozen.
The snowpack is diminishes rapidly below 1000 m and on solar aspects.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy with scattered showers, less than 1 mm. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 8 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.
Saturday
Cloudy with rain, 5 to 9 mm, becoming wet alpine flurries bringing less than 5 cm of alpine snow. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature falling from 5 °C to 1 °C. Freezing level dropping from 2500 m to 1700 m.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers, 1 to 3 mm. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature 6 °C. Freezing level to 2400 m.
Monday
Cloudy with light rain, 3 to 5 mm, after 2 to 8 mm overnight. Possible trace of new snow to alpine. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, increasing. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
