Loose Wet
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 2
Wet Slab Avalanches:
As daytime temperatures rise and the high angled sun comes out in force, it is possible people could trigger dangerous (wet) slab avalanches on slopes facing the north half of the compass, failing on a sugary, buried persistent weak layer, which is now pretty moist in most places. Last week's warmth softened existing slabs and crust layers, and increased creep and glide rates, which caused natural wet loose and wet slab avalanches in steep terrain.
This large natural wet slab avalanche in the "Picture Window" area of Pine Canyon appears to have occurred on Sunday morning, since we did not see it with the glass on Saturday afternoon.
Cooler temperatures overnight and clear skies created a surface crust and helped to stabilize the sloppy wet snow. But, the high angled sun will be out in force and warm daytime temperatures will soften things up again, and wet loose avalanches remain possible in the backcountry today. When the snow surface becomes damp or unsupportable, it's time to head home. Watch for signs of heat-related instability like rollerballs, pinwheels, or sluffs of saturated surface snow. Wet slushy snow is generally unstable on steep slopes.