Warm temps and clear skies are forecast with no new snow. Watch for decreasing stability on steep solar aspects as the day warms up. Feels like spring!
Weather Forecast
The light to moderate NW winds are forecast to continue and a warm subtropical air mass is moving into the region. Clear skies are forecast and temps are expected to increase with a freezing level at 2200m forecast for Sunday. Watch for decreases in stability on solar aspects.
Avalanche Summary
A few isolated loose dry avalanches from steeper terrain.
Snowpack Summary
Little Change over the past 24hrs. An additional 3cm of snow overnight give us up to 18cm of HST in some treeline and alpine areas. This snow has settled rapidly under the influence of the warm temps and is bonding poorly to the underlying hard slabs in many areas. This layer will likely be touchy for another day or before it starts to setlle and bond better.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.