Expect a modest recovery and strong daytime heating again on Saturday before the clouds roll in. Early morning rain is possible Sunday and will likely contribute to a poor recovery at lower elevations before cooling leads to snowfall later in the day
Weather Forecast
Temperatures have been slightly inverted with better freezes at valley bottom, but temperatures will stay above freezing in the alpine Friday evening. Saturday will see solar heating progress quickly with clear skies until midday when winds pick up and bring cloud later in the day. Sunday morning may bring rain below 2000m turning to snow by noon
Snowpack Summary
Crust or moist snow on all solar aspects depending on temperatures. Buried temperature crusts to 2000m on all aspects and to ridge top on solar slopes, including the Mar 15 crust down 40-70 cm in the alpine. Moist snow at lower elevations, with the entire snowpack becoming moist below treeline in the afternoons.
Avalanche Summary
Ongoing wet snow avalanches typical for this time of year are occurring with daytime heating. Both loose snow and wet slabs are common with slabs occasionally stepping down to mid-pack and basal layers. These vary by aspect and elevation but can travel far as they entrain isothermal snow. Many events have reached full path over the last two days.
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.
Wet Slabs
Wet Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slabs can be very unpredictable and destructive.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.