New snow lies upon very slick old snow surfaces. Shallow loose snow sluffs are likely in steep terrain. Strong west winds have created shallow pockets of new soft slab. These slabs and loose snow sluffs are likely to be easily triggered by skiers and riders in steep terrain and may run faster and further on the old snow surfaces than one might expect. A buried layer of surface hoar beneath the old snow surfaces is still a concern. In isolated areas surface slides could step down to this persistent weak layer.
At the mid and upper elevations strong west winds have created pockets of new soft slab up to one foot in depth. These slabs are likely to be sensitive to human triggers.
Buried surface hoar lies in the snowpack below the old snow surface. In isolated areas skiers and riders might still be able to trigger hard slabs on this weak layer with depths to two feet.
A second pulse of moisture has arrived and will bring snow to the region overnight and into Tuesday morning before tapering off in the afternoon. Five to ten inches of new snow are expected at the higher elevations during this period. Temperatures in the mountains will be in the 20s and will continue to rise overnight. Strong southwest winds will create areas of blowing and drifting snow.The avalanche hazard will be on the increase overnight and through the day. Dense surface slabs formed by southwest winds will build to depths of two feet at the mid and upper elevations. These slabs will be bigger than they were today and therefor the consequences of being caught by one will be more severe. They will lie upon hard crusts and weak layers of faceted snow and could be human triggered or release naturally. The general avalanche hazard is expected to rise to MODERATE in the mountains in our entire forecast region and, if the weather forecast verifies, will likely rise to CONSIDERABLE in the areas which receive the most snow and wind.
