Be alert to conditions that change with daytime warming. Danger ratings are likely to exceed posted levels if solar radiation is strong, especially at treeline and below.
Confidence
Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain for the entire period
Weather Forecast
Thursday: A weak high pressure system builds promoting clear and dry conditions with light westerly winds and 2000m freezing levels.Friday: An upper trough of low pressure will move over the Interior late Thursday through Friday bringing moderate to locally heavy precipitation. Freezing levels will be around 1400m. Winds light to moderate from the west.Saturday: Overcast with light to locally moderate precipitation possible. Winds light from the south.
Avalanche Summary
Solar aspects have been very active showing lots of natural loose wet avalanches and cornice releases up to size 2.5.
Snowpack Summary
Surface faceting and surface hoar growth ( up to 20 mm) has been prevalent on shady slopes at upper elevations, while the surface snow on sun-exposed slopes and at lower elevations has been subject to daily melt-freeze cycles. Cornices are large and weak.Surface hoar buried March 10th is down 100cm in most places. This layer seems to be bonding in most places and is a low probability - high consequence problem. Triggering may be possible with a very large load (cornice fall) or hitting the sweet spot in thin, variable snowpack areas.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the 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. 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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.