At the mid and high elevations, the possibility continues for skiers or riders to trigger large deep slab avalanches. The chance also exists to trigger recently fallen light snow in isolated areas where significant wind loading has occurred. Avalanches below 7500 are not expected today except for on small isolated features. Evaluate the snowpack and terrain carefully for safe backcountry excursions.
The possibility continues for the weight of a single person to trigger deep slab avalanches involving weak snow formed in early December that lies upon hard November crusts. Failure could occur even after a slope has been tracked several times. These slabs could have depths to five feet and are likely to carry severe consequences to anyone involved.
Light snow showers or flurries are possible overnight and Friday morning before snowfall intensity increases for a few hours Friday afternoon. Three to six additional inches of accumulation could occur by Friday evening. Temperatures are to drop to single digits overnight and rise to the mid-teens during the day. Winds are to be westerly with 20-30 mph averages.The general avalanche hazard will remain Moderate above 7500 feet and Low below that elevation. Although less likely than the last several weeks, a chance continues for a single person to initiate large avalanches involving deeply buried weak layers. If initiated these slabs are likely to carry severe consequences. Larger triggers such as snowmachines or groups of people may be needed to cause failure although a single person hitting the right weak spot could still initiate it.
