Loose Wet
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1
Small, loose wet avalanches will be possible in steep terrain on Wednesday. We're continuing in a steady, melt-freeze cycle. Temperatures overnight on Tuesday will drop to near or below freezing, which will be cold enough to re-freeze the snow surface. Although temperatures won't get quite as warm on Wednesday as we've seen the past couple days, a little bit of solar input right now can rapidly soften the snow. Timing is your best tool for managing a loose wet avalanche problem. Get an early start and monitor changing snow on solar aspects. Roller balls are an early indication that the snow surface is losing cohesion. If you notice that the snow is "sluffing" under your feet or you're sinking in more than the height of your ankles, it's a good idea to move to lower angle terrain or shaded slopes. Although loose wet avalanches that are large enough to bury or injure a rider will be unlikely on Wednesday, small avalanches are possible in very steep terrain that's getting the sun.