Avalanche Forecast

High -

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light south wind, alpine temperature 6 C, freezing level 3300 m.THURSDAY: Clear skies, light southeast wind, alpine temperature 5 C, freezing level 3000 m.FRIDAY: Clear skies, light southeast wind, alpine temperature 4 C, freezing level 2700 m.SATURDAY: Cloudy with light rain, accumulation 1 to 3 mm, light southeast wind, alpine temperature 0 C, freezing level 2200 m.

Many wet loose avalanches were observed on Tuesday. They were large (up to size 2.5), occurred on southeast to southwest aspects, and at all elevations. This avalanche cycle is expected to continue, as temperatures remain exceptionally warm and the sun shines strong.

The warm air and sunny skies have produced moist snow to ridge top on all aspects. The upper 30 to 60 cm of snow may slide easily during the day, either as loose wet snow or as a cohesive slab, as it sits over weak faceted grains or a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes. The moist snow may freeze into a melt-freeze crust overnight.Below treeline, a weak layer of faceted grains and/or feathery surface hoar crystals buried in mid-January may be found around 60 to 100 cm deep. Although this layer has been dormant for a few weeks, the current warm conditions may awaken this layer. Steep cutblocks and large open glades at lower elevations are the most likely places to trigger this layer.The lower snowpack is generally consolidated and strong. The exception is around thin, rocky areas in the alpine, where the snowpack is composed of faceted snow. The warm air and sunny skies could trigger very large avalanches that could run to the valley bottom.