Temperatures are about 12 degrees warmer than they were yesterday morning and will continue to rise as warm air from the subtropics moves into the region. Pockets of wind slab exist. Increasing temperatures and sunshine will increase the sensitivity of these pockets to human triggers. Shallow loose snow sluffs could be human triggered on steep slopes and in cliff areas.
Pockets of wind slab up to 20 inches in depth exist and could be triggered by the weight of a single person in steep avalanche starting zones and cliff areas with fresh deposits of wind drifted snow.
Limited moisture in a northwest flow will continue to bring low clouds and the chance of snow showers or flurries to the mountains. Skies will be partly cloudy on Saturday. Temperatures will rise into the 30s in the mountains and to near 40 in the valleys. Northwest winds will be light at 5 to 15 miles per hour and back from the northwest to the southwest.In all areas isolated pockets of wind slab up to 18 inches in depth and loose snow sluffs will continue to pose a hazard to humans who venture into steep avalanche prone terrain. In some areas weak layers of faceted snow within the snowpack remain a concern and present the potential for humans to trigger slab avalanches up to three feet deep. Sunshine and warm temperatures will increase the sensitivity of these slabs to human triggers. Loose snow sluffs are possible on steep sunlit aspects. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE and will be on the increase as the day progresses.
