Loose Wet
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Unlikely
- Size
- 1–1.5
Decreasing clouds have allowed snow surfaces to refreeze overnight. Spring-like conditions continue with clear skies during the warmest part of the day, allowing temperatures to rise well above freezing again. Areas of wet snow will develop on sunny slopes by late morning. Easterly aspects will warm first, followed by southerly and westerly aspects as the sun moves across the sky. Rocky areas, chutes, and slopes with shallow snow cover will be the most likely places to see Wet Loose avalanches. Rollerballs or pinwheels and sinking to your boot-tops in wet snow are signs of instability that often foreshadow larger point release avalanches.
The best way to avoid isolated wet sluffs is to travel when the snow surface is colder and stronger. Plan your day to avoid crossing on or under very steep slopes in the afternoon. Once the snow surface turns slushy, move to colder, shadier slopes. Avoid steep, sunlit slopes above terrain traps, cliffs, and extreme terrain that could increase the consequences of even a small avalanche.