Avalanche Forecast

High

Natural activity was ongoing on Friday, with several large wet loose avalanches observed in the highway corridor.

This is capping off a very active week of spring avalanche activity - there was a widespread cycle of natural and controlled, wet loose and deep slab avalanches with numerous sz 3, and isolated sz 4's. Many avalanche paths failed down to ground once the avalanches were in motion.

Warm temps have penetrated the snowpack creating a moist, isothermal snowpack on all aspects into the alpine. Buried crusts in the upper 50 cm are breaking down. Shallow snowpack features have loose, weak snow to ground.

20-40cm above the ground the Nov 17 basal weakness can still be found in many areas.

Warm and dry weather will come to an end Friday, as a trough of low pressure brings light precip and dropping freezing levels (FZL).

Tonight: Cloudy periods, Alpine Low 3°C, FZL 2500m, Moderate E ridgetop wind.

Sat: Isolated showers/wet flurries, High 5°C, FZL 2600m, light S winds.

Sun: Scattered flurries (4cm), Low -1°C, High 1°C. FZL 2200m.

Mon: Isolated flurries, Low -1°C, High 5°C, FZL 2600m.

• Minimize exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of runout zones.
• As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
• If triggered loose wet avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.