Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Sunday

A ridge of high pressure will develop and bring mainly clear skies for the forecast period. Sunday: Clearing throughout the day / Light northwest winds / Freezing level at about 2000m Monday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwest winds / Freezing level at 2000m Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwest winds / Freezing level at 2800m

No new avalanches have been reported. I expect thin wind slab avalanches could be triggered in isolated high alpine terrain, although I would expect them to gain strength fairly quickly. With forecast warming, loose wet and wet slab avalanches will remain a concern, particularly on steeper, sun-exposed slopes.

On Friday, rain continued to soak the upper snowpack. Depending on the air temperature, snow surfaces will now appear moist or refrozen. In higher snowfall areas in the south of the region, dense new wind slabs may exist in lee terrain at the highest elevations where snow fell instead of rain. Much of the terrain below treeline is below threshold for avalanche activity.Continued warm temperatures are promoting settlement in the upper snowpack. The hard crust that formed earlier in February can be found up to 100cm below the surface at alpine elevations. Although no recent avalanches have been observed at this interface, professionals are still keeping a close eye on it as long as warm temperatures persist. Cornices are reported to be large and fragile.