It is warmer this morning, however snow surfaces should be frozen in the early morning hours. The wet snow avalanche hazard will increase after snow surfaces soften. Increasing cloud cover and winds may delay or slow the warming, especially at the higher elevations. Delays in that cloud cover may allow allow the the wet snow avalanche hazard to significantly increase, especially at the mid and lower elevations, Monitor conditions for an increase in the wet snow avalanche hazard. Avoid being on and under steep slopes if the snowpack loses cohesion and if the snow on those slopes is or becomes isothermal.
If significant warming occurs and the snowpack loses strength wet loose slides are possible on steep terrain features. These slides could be triggered by humans and could be consequential above terrain traps and cliff areas.
A strong cold front will move quickly through the area tonight. A short period of snowfall is expected to end by midnight. Accumulations of a couple of inches are possible. On Friday it will be colder, and skies will clear. Overnight lows will drop into the single digits and teens. Daytime highs will rise into the 20’s and 30’s. Winds will back to the north tonight and then diminish to 10 to 15 miles per hour during the day.The snowpack is mostly stable. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be low. Mountaineers could encounter isolated pockets of shallow wind slab on the highest peaks. The cooler conditions will decrease the wet snow avalanche hazard. Isolated areas of wet snow hazard could develop during the warmest portion of the day.
