Avalanche Forecast

A quick look at the debris piles around the mountains may be all the reminder you need that this loose wet avalanche cycle is ongoing. As more water gets added to the snowpack Tuesday, these avalanches may grow larger, run father, and occur on shadier slopes. It won’t take long for the sun and warm temperatures to thaw a poor overnight refreeze of the snow surface. When this happens conditions will deteriorate quickly.  Unless it’s frozen, you should consider any steep slope suspect. Avoid traveling on steep open slopes with wet surface snow, and be leery of traveling in areas where avalanches can run and stop.

Release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. They generally move slowly, but can contain enough mass to cause significant damage to trees, cars or buildings. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Plan your trips to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the afternoon. Move to colder, shadier slopes once the snow surface turns slushly. Avoid steep, sunlit slopes above terrain traps, cliffs areas and long sustained steep pitches.

Several loose wet avalanches, and lots of pinwheels and roller balls.

Loose wet avalanches occur where water is running through the snowpack, and release at or below the trigger point. Avoid terrain traps such as cliffs, gullies, or tree wells. Exit avalanche terrain when you see pinwheels, roller balls, a slushy surface, or during rain-on-snow events.

There are still several cold snow layers in the snowpacks of the West South. Another day of above freezing temperatures just means more water moving in the snowpack that can impact these layers. This may lead to an increase in wet slab avalanche activity. The problem is, wet slabs are notoriously hard to predict. The good news is, the solution can be simple. Give this snowpack time to adjust.  Be suspicious of any open slope greater than 30 degrees and don’t linger in large avalanche terrain.

Release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slab avalanches can be very destructive.

Avoid terrain where and when you suspect Wet Slab avalanche activity. Give yourself a wide safety buffer to handle the uncertainty

A Wet Slab avalanche. In this avalanche, the meltwater pooled above a dusty layer of snow. Note all the smaller wet loose avalanches to either side.

Wet slabs occur when there is liquid water in the snowpack, and can release during the first few days of a warming period. Travel early in the day and avoiding avalanche paths when you see pinwheels, roller balls, loose wet avalanches, and during rain-on-snow events.