East Slopes South

Avalanche conditions are generally safe - but still keep an eye out for small, isolated pockets of wind-blown snow adjacent to ridgelines and at upper elevations. You don’t need a large avalanche to push you through rocks and cliffs. 

Thursday will be a rinse and repeat of Wednesday. The only difference will be increasing cloud cover and winds ahead of our next system that rolls into the region Friday morning. If you find yourself at the upper elevations (above 7000 ft)  in the east-south, look for newly forming shallow wind slabs as SW winds start ramping up.  

The East-South did pretty well with precipitation on Tuesday. Weather stations across the zone recorded nearly a half inch of precipitation throughout the day. Unfortunately, much of this likely fell as rain at elevations below 7000 ft. Above this, you may find several inches of dense new snow and isolated pockets of wind-drifted snow on leeward slopes. Since then, the new snow has likely been settling out with the warm temperatures. But still, be sure to complete your own assessment - especially in areas where a small avalanche can have a less-than-ideal outcome. 

Your main crux will likely be the challenging travel conditions. This season has offered a rollercoaster of fluctuating freezing levels, rain-on-snow events, and inversions. With that, be ready for a mixed bag of conditions out there. You may find slick, icy surfaces in more exposed alpine areas. On more shaded aspects above 7000 ft, observers in neighboring zones reported dry snow leading up to this past system. So If you find yourself pushing to the high mountains during this period, be ready to complete your own snowpack assessment.

Lower elevations across the east-south have struggled to build a meaningful snowpack this season. As you travel, look for shallowly buried hazards that could ruin the rest of your season. 

You can add to the forecast by submitting a public observation!