Grand Mesa

Current Conditions 

In the past week a lot of snow has melted and what's left is summer-like snow conditions. This means that continuous areas of snow are well-drained, and you will find supportable and safe travel conditions in the morning. Don't let your guard down though as you can still trigger a small wet avalanche in very steep terrain once the top few inches of snow has softened. Start your day early and end early to reduce your risk to avalanches.

 Avalanche and Snowpack Discussion

Temperatures above treeline are mostly above freezing overnight and rising to the upper fifties during the day, even at the highest elevations. Despite the non-freezing temperatures, backcountry travelers are finding frozen, supportable surfaces in the morning. Clear skies overnight and a well-drained snowpack are resulting in these safe morning travel conditions.

We haven't had any reported avalanches since June 7 and we don't expect any natural avalanche cycles during continued warm weather in June. Nevertheless, small, wet avalanches are always possible if you are out late in the day, especially if you travel in very steep, rocky terrain.

Weather

You can get current weather forecasts by clicking the map on the CAIC's Weather Forecast page. Our computer Model Forecasts update four times daily and will run through the summer. If you are going into the Colorado high country, use our Weather Stations page to check current conditions.

We will update this avalanche information as conditions change. Click the map to get the latest conditions. Please keep sending us your field reports. We rely on your information to stay current on avalanche conditions across the state. There have been fatal avalanche accidents every month of the year in Colorado, so don't let your guard down.