Confidence
Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Wednesday
Weather Forecast
Overnight and Wednesday: An upper ridge of High pressure continues to dominate the interior regions. Large valleys should expect cloud with mostly clear skies above. Alpine temperatures are forecast to be warmer than the valleys, but should still be about -3.0. Light winds and no precipitation for the forecast period.Thursday: Mostly clear with light winds and freezing levels down to the valley bottoms. Cooler in the alpine as the warm moves to the Southeast.Friday: Becoming cloudy during the day with moderate westerly winds as a weak upper disturbance slides into the region.
Avalanche Summary
Loose snow avalanches up to size 1.5 continue to be reported from steep terrain.
Snowpack Summary
New surface hoar continues to grow in areas that are sheltered from the wind. Recent light snowfalls have been transported into soft wind slabs in the alpine. Continued wind effect may stiffen these wind slabs and allow for longer fracture propagations. Deeper instabilities have been inactive, but may still be triggered by large loads in thin snowpack areas.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
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.