The general avalanche hazard is LOW early this morning, will rise to MODERATE before noon and could rise to CONSIDERABLE in the afternoon if mostly clear skies prevail throughout the day. Warm temperatures over the past several days, along with mostly above freezing overnight lows, have created an unconsolidated snowpack producing unstable conditions in steep terrain on a variety of aspects. Natural and skier triggered wet slides have been observed over the past several days, and similar slides are possible today. As the day warms, the likelihood of these slides occurring will increase.
Wet loose avalanches are possible on a variety of aspects in steep terrain at all elevations. These wet slides could be human triggered or release spontaneously and have potential to entrain snow to the ground in areas where the snowpack is isothermal.
Wet slab avalanches are possible in steep terrain and could be human triggered or released naturally in response to warming temperatures.
Cloud cover will decrease overnight, and mostly clear skies should be expected during the day on Thursday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be near 20 before rising into the mid to upper 30s during the day. Northwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 5 to 15 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be LOW early Thursday morning before rising to MODERATE by noon and possibly to CONSIDERABLE in the afternoon. Crusts that form overnight will lie above an unconsolidated, isothermal snowpack. Once these crusts thaw, the snowpack will return to unstable conditions, and wet loose sluffs and wet slabs will once again become possible. The hazard will rise quickly if cloud cover inhibits radiational cooling overnight and clear skies prevail during the day. Plan for an early start, and avoid steep, avalanche terrain once surface crusts break down.
