Avalanche Forecast

High -

TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light southeast wind, alpine temperature 6 C, freezing level 3200 m.WEDNESDAY: Clear skies, light southeast wind, alpine temperature 6 C, freezing level 3300 m.THURSDAY: Clear skies, light southeast wind, alpine temperature 5 C, freezing level 2900 m.FRIDAY: Partly cloudy skies, light south wind, alpine temperature 4 C, freezing level 2700 m.

The wet loose avalanche cycle continued on Monday, producing small to large (size 1.5 to 3) avalanches on southeast to southwest aspects. The avalanches were at all elevations. There were also reports of slab avalanches around 30 to 40 cm deep, releasing on the interface described in the snowpack summary. They were on all aspects and between 1800 m and 2700 m.This avalanche cycle is expected to continue, as temperatures remain exceptionally warm and the sun shines strong.

A cohesive slab of snow around 30 to 60 cm thick overlies weak and sugary faceted snow or a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes. Natural avalanches are expected to continue at this interface.Below treeline, a weak layer of faceted grains and/or feathery surface hoar crystals buried in mid-January can be found around 60 to 120 cm deep, which may be combined with a melt-freeze crust on south aspects. The current warm conditions may awaken this layer, resulting in large, destructive avalanches. Steep cutblocks and large open glades at lower elevations are the most likely places to trigger this layer. Smaller loose wet avalanches may trigger this layer.The lower snowpack is generally consolidated and strong. The exception is around thin, rocky areas in the alpine, where the snowpack is composed of faceted snow. The warm air and sunny skies could trigger very large avalanches that could run to the valley bottom.