Natural and human triggered avalanches are unlikely today. Cloud cover and breezy conditions will keep the snowpack firm and frozen. A storm will enter the area on Friday night bringing heavy snowfall and strong winds out of the southwest through Saturday. Anticipate avalanche hazard to rise significantly on Saturday and Sunday.
Temperatures below 3000 ft will rise above freezing today. Small wet loose avalanches are possible at lower elevations. Stay clear of terrain traps if the snow is wet and punchy.
Photo: J Thompson
During the past two weeks the area has been under a stable weather pattern with mild and sunny days followed by cold nights. The repeated freeze-thaw cycles that the snowpack has been going through has left us with a very stable snowpack. Our snowpack today is stable, it also has a firm melt-freeze crust on all open terrain that has seen sunshine the past two weeks. Shaded northerly facing terrain has stayed cold and developed weak, sugary snow on the surface. These surfaces will create a smooth bed surface and bond poorly to the new snow predicted to fall on Saturday. Current weather forecasts show there is high confidence that the Cabinet Mountains will see 12-18" of fresh snow by Saturday night. Throw in a southwest wind in the 30-40 mph range and we have all the ingredients to produce avalanches on Saturday and Sunday
Micah and I are gearing up to head into the Western Cabinets today. We'd like to take a close look at current conditions before this strong storm shows up this afternoon. If your up Tressle creek today, say "Hi" if you see us!
Tomorrow morning, April 1st, will be our last regularly scheduled AVALANCHE FORECAST of the season. We will continue to post Warnings, Watches and General avalanche information as needed
