The current weather pattern is expected to continue for most of the week. Watch for wet snow in steep or extreme terrain where even a small release could become a big problem.
Confidence
High - The weather pattern is stable
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind light from the southwest. Alpine Temperature +4. Freezing level 2000m.Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind light from the northeast. Alpine temperature +5. Freezing level 3200m.Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridge wind light from the northwest. Alpine temperature +5. Freezing level 3500m.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been observed since last Wednesday when small loose wet avalanches were noted up to size 1 in steep terrain, entraining the top 15 to 20 cm of snow.
Snowpack Summary
Warm weather has melted the snow surface to the top of the highest mountains. Surface crusts may form overnight but will melt quickly in the morning with continued warm temperatures and sunny skies. The upper snowpack is well-settled and bonding to a buried crust. Below treeline there are still open creeks, alder, and other early-season hazards. Expect snow depths around 200 cm at 1300 m and 30 cm at 800 m.
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.