At the mid and high elevations, skiers and riders could trigger slab avalanches formed during the past week. These slabs have gained strength over the last two days and although many areas have become stable, unstable pockets still lurk in very steep wind loaded terrain. Snowfall that is to be heavy at times today and strong southwest winds could combine to form new shallow and sensitive surface slabs this afternoon. Avalanches at low elevations are not expected today.
Over the past week, wind has formed slabs that could fail on density breaks in the newer snow or upon the hard crusts that were buried last Sunday. These slabs could be triggered to depths of two feet and although they exist on all aspects, they are more likely to be found in higher shaded terrain.
Mild conditions will continue as winds decrease. Some clouds and snow showers are possible overnight as temperatures drop into the 20s in the mountains and to around freezing in the valleys. Skies will be partly cloudy on Sunday. Temperatures will warm into the 30s in the mountains and into the 40s in the valleys. Winds will be west to southwest at 15 to 25 miles per hour. At the mid and upper elevations the potential persist for skiers and riders to trigger dense surface slabs up to two feet in depth. These slabs lie upon crusts that formed in late January and are unstable on steep slopes where faceted snow lies upon those crusts. Warming temperatures during the day will increase the sensitivity of these slabs to human triggers. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE.
