Above 8000 feet, dangerous avalanche conditions continue. The snowpack is underlain by a widely distributed persistent layers of weak faceted snow. In steep terrain, the chance continues for a single person to trigger slab avalanches involving the snow that has fallen since late November. This could occur even after a slope has been tracked several times. Observations of significant collapse continue to be reported. Evaluating the snowpack to identify the presence and magnitude of the weak layer is essential and takes little time in the shallow, early season snowpack. Keeping to low angle terrain is also recommended to avoid this avalanche problem. Avalanches below 8000 feet are not expected today.
At the mid and upper elevations, snow that has fallen since November 25th lies over older, weak, faceted snow. In steep avalanche terrain humans could trigger these slab avalanches that could range in depth from one to three feet. At an elevation of 8000 feet, the weak layer is primarily limited to slopes with a northerly component in aspect, encompassing more and more aspects as elevations rise.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )One to three inches of snow is expected to fall in the mountains tomorrow as moisture passes through the area. This snow is expected to fall mainly during the later morning and early afternoon with partial clearing expected during the evening. Morning temperatures are to be in the teens at all elevations with afternoon highs in the low twenties at the higher elevations and the high twenties at the lower elevations. The general avalanche hazard will remain Considerable. Above 8500 feet, dangerous avalanche conditions continue. Persistent week layers that were covered in late November could be triggered by presence of a single person, even after a slope has been tracked several times. These slabs could have depths of one two three feet. Below 8500 feet avalanche activity could occur in isolated locations and below 8000 feet avalanche activity is not expected.
