Until things cool down travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended! Rain soaked surface snow was found to tree line today. If the forecast cooling and new snow begins to arrive on Saturday night things could improve quickly.
Weather Forecast
A slow cooling trend with light precipitation over the next few days. Friday freezing levels slowly drop to 2000m, light precip, a mix of sun and cloud and moderate WNW winds. Saturday freezing levels to 1800m, light precipitation, cloudy with moderate W winds. Sunday freezing levels dropping to valley bottom, 10cm of snow and moderate W winds.
Snowpack Summary
A trace of new snow overnight above 2200m. Moderate to strong West winds forming soft slab on high North aspects. Moist surface snow to ridge top on S aspects and to 2200m on N aspects today. 20-40cm of rain soaked surface snow at tree line and below. A few glide cracks opening up near tree line with the warm temperatures.
Avalanche Summary
The past two days have seen a widespread cycle of loose wet avalanches up to size 2 on all aspects and at all elevations. Several wind slab avalanches up to size 2.5 were also observed out of high N aspects occurring in the last several days and likely cornice triggered. This activity should decrease as temperatures cool over the next few days.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.