Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

• We are uncertain about forecast snowfall amounts.
• We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Clear skies on Tuesday showed evidence of Monday's avalanche cycle up to (size 3).

With more snow and strong west winds, expect the avalanche danger to be elevated throughout the forecast period. Natural and human triggered avalanches are likely.

Strong winds and new snow on Thursday will likely form fresh and reactive wind slabs at upper elevations.

Up to 40 cm of recent storm snow rests on a variety of underlying surfaces, including wind-affected snow in the alpine, facets on north-facing aspects, and sun-affected snow on south-facing aspects. In areas where facets or crusts are present, expect the potential for a poor bond at the storm snow interface. Moist snow exists below 1200 m.

A crust from early February, buried 40 to 80 cm deep.

Snowpack depths at treeline range from 90 to 170 cm, tapering rapidly below treeline, particularly on south-facing aspects.

Wednesday Night
Cloudy. Up to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Thursday
Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

Saturday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 900 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
• Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain; avalanches may run surprisingly far.
• Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.