Loose Wet
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–2
You can trigger wet avalanches on easterly-facing slopes by mid-morning. Other slopes will wet later and can then shed loose avalanches. Cloud cover may slow the melt, but a brief period of sun may speed the melt and quickly raise the likelihood of wet avalanches. Monitor the snow surfaces and back off any steep slopes where you sink past your ankles standing in your boots. Start and end your day early.
On high peaks above about 12,500 in the Northern Mountains, or 13,000' in the Elk Range, Sawatch Range, or Sangre de Cristo Mountains, you may find isolated wind drifts of still-dry snow. To avoid triggering a slab avalanche, steer around the drifts and choose wind-sheltered terrain.