Spring-like conditions should continue. Be cautious on steep slopes if the snow feels moist or wet.
Confidence
High - The weather pattern is stable
Weather Forecast
FRIDAY: Sunny, light southerly winds, freezing level around 3200 m.SATURDAY: Increasing cloud, moderate southwesterly winds, freezing level around 2700 m.SUNDAY: Mostly sunny, light southerly winds, freezing level around 3500 m
Avalanche Summary
Recent 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 is melting the snow surface to the top of the highest mountains. Crusts may form overnight, but will melt quickly in the morning. The 80-100 cm of storm snow that fell last week is rapidly settling and bonding to a buried crust. Travel has improved below treeline, but there are still open creeks, alder, and other early-season hazards. Expect snow depths around 200 cm at 1200 m and 60 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.