West Slopes North

Your largest concern is thin, variable snow cover on Thursday. Prepare for challenging travel conditions, but always take avalanche rescue gear with you if you're going into the backcountry, and know how to use it.  

Skies cleared early Wednesday, and some of the moisture drained from the snowpack. No new avalanche activity was reported, as we've now had several days of warm temperatures and the rain has passed. Now that we've got some views we're seeing that most forecast elevations look like they received rain Monday night and Tuesday. Not much snow was seen at higher elevations. You can expect similar snow conditions on Thursday, although we'll be getting some sky cover and possibly a few small splashes of rain with continued warm temperatures.  

All eyes are looking to Friday, where we'll probably be getting around half an inch of water, maybe more if we're lucky. The storm will start warm, but temperatures will quickly cool and most precipitation should fall as snow. In the meantime, prepare for difficult backcountry travel, with semi-supportable snow surfaces and many early-season hazards exposed. You may find shallowly buried rocks and logs or trees, and open creeks to add more excitement to your day. If you make it into the backcountry, let us know how it was by submitting an observation.