At the mid and upper elevations dense new snow and strong winds are overloading a weak snowpack and creating dangerous avalanche conditions. Human triggered avalanches are likely and natural avalanche activity is possible. Shallow wet slides are possible in steep snow covered terrain at the lower elevations. Route finding skills that employ caution and avoid steep slopes, gullies, avalanche paths and their run out zones are essential for safe travel in the mountains today.
Strong southwest to west winds have created dense new surface slabs on an unstable base comprised of faceted snow and hard old snow surfaces. These slabs are likely to be easily triggered by humans and could be remotely triggered and occur on steep slopes that don't frequently avalanche. These slabs are expected to be 12 to 18 inches in depth and could step down into old snow layers to depths of two feet.
A fairly steady stream of moisture will continue to move across the area. There will be a bit of a lull Wednesday morning ahead of another fast moving pulse of moisture Wednesday night. A couple of inches of snowfall are possible overnight and during the day at the highest elevations. Increased snowfall is likely in the evening. Snow densities in the mountains will remain high and the freezing level will continue to be at the 6,500 to 7,500 foot level. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE. This type of load on a snowpack with persistent weak layers of faceted snow is tricky and hard to manage with respect to route selection and risk. Many slopes may appear to be stable while others are not. Dense slab avalanches one to two feet in depth could be human triggered with severe consequences at the mid and upper elevations.
