The only change from yesterday is that temperatures stayed well above freezing overnight so the snowpack did not have a chance to lock up making wet loose activity possible. While this extended thaw is helping the snowpack by breaking down weak layers it is also weighing it down which could stress upper elevation places where a weak layer still exists particularly near shallow spots and rocks where sugary faceted snow tends to exist.
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With an inversion in place bringing higher temps to elevation and possible sun effect later in the day as fog burns off there is some potential for wet loose activity. Wet loose avalnches typically start from a point due to rock or tree plops and fan out potentially entraining wet heavy snow and are slow moving but powerful and are especially hazardous near terrain traps.
Spring like conditions will continue for the mountain zones of Douglas today as fair weather and strong inversion conditions persist. Temps stayed warm at upper elevations yesterday and overnight with the powder patch weather station at Eaglecrest reporting a low temp of 38.5 for the last 24hrs and high temp of nearly 43 degrees. With no freezing temps overnight and possible solar heating during the day today, surface snow should continue to soften making small human triggered wet loose avalanches possible. As water drains through the snow pack, several glide cracks are starting to appear as well. While they are often not hazardous, it is important to remember that glide cracks can catastrophically fail and cause large avalanches at any time so it is important to be aware when traveling around or under glide cracks. Finally, with fair weather forecasted thoughout the week we encourage the public to submit observations as they get out and enjoy a sunny week in the mountains of Douglas.
