Avalanche Forecast

High

Avalanche control today has produced isolated sz 4 and numerous sz 2-3 avalanches. This is capping off a very active week of spring avalanche activity. Which had wet/loose natural and controlled avalanches with numerous sz 3, and isolated sz 4's. Many avalanche paths failed down to ground once the avalanches reached Treeline elevations and lower.

Warm temps have penetrated the snowpack creating an moist, isothermal snowpack treeline and below on all aspects and into the alpine on solar aspects. Buried crusts in the upper 50 cm are breaking down. Shallow snowpack features have loose, weak snow to ground.

20-40cm above the ground the Nov 17 basal weakness can still be found in many areas.

Warm and dry weather will come to an end on Fri, as a trough of low pressure brings light precip and dropping freezing levels.

Tonight: Clear, Alpine Low 8°C, FZL 3200m, mod E ridgetop wind

Fri: Sunny w/cloudy periods, Alp High 12°C, FZL 3500m, mod, gusting to strong E winds

Sat: Cloudy w/sunny periods + iso wet flurries, Alp high 6°C, FZL 2800m, mod S winds

• Minimize exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of runout zones.
• As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
• If triggered loose wet avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.