Mild alpine temperatures and clear skies will result in low avalanche danger at all elevations this weekend.
Weather Forecast
Clear skies with warm air in the alpine on Saturday. Inversion continuing on Sunday, but not as strong as Saturday. Cloud and southeast wind building Sunday evening. 3-5 cm of new snow by Monday morning with the freezing level at valley bottoms.
Avalanche Summary
Some isolated skier controlled soft wind slabs released from immediate lee features in the north of the region. No new avalanches reported from the south of the region.
Snowpack Summary
The last few days of clear skies, solar radiation, and warm air trapped at higher elevations has settled the recent storm snow. Southerly aspects have seen enough sun and warmth to release loose moist or wet avalanches in steep terrain, and new melt-freeze crusts may have formed overnight when the temperatures dropped below freezing. Some wind transported snow continues to form thin wind slabs on various aspects.
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.
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.