Loose Wet
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 3
Though overnight temps cooled slightly with a passing dry. cold front, all mountain weather stations are still reporting above-freezing temperatures this morning. The snow surface may be crusty or feel supportable due to the relatively cooler air and radiant heat loss, but it will quickly soften under the strong March sun. Loose wet avalanches involving saturated snow are possible in very steep, rocky terrain.
Wet slab avalanches are also likely on steep slopes. Meltwater is percolating through the snowpack and actively weakening the snow above several buried weak layers, increasing the potential for large, natural, heat-induced avalanches. In some areas, meltwater is pooling on crusts, creating slick bed surfaces where slabs can more easily fail. As these slab layers soften, it becomes easier for a person to trigger a dangerous avalanche.
- Pay attention to terrain traps below you, such as gullies or cliffs, where even a small avalanche can have severe consequences.
- If you're sinking into the snow above your ankles, or you're seeing active roller balls, move to shadier or lower-angle terrain.
- Avoid being on or under steep slopes with saturated surface snow and poor snow structure.
- An example of what we are talking about when we mention wet slab avalanches.
Toby checked out the Bloomington Canyon zone on Thursday.