Nine inches of dense new snow with almost an inch and a half of moisture has fallen in the mountains and the valleys have experienced a mix of rain and snow. In the mountains strong west-southwest winds and rapid loading since 10 PM have created unstable conditions. At the upper elevations human triggered avalanches are likely and natural avalanche activity is possible. Human triggered avalanches are possible at the mid elevations. At the lower elevations shallow pockets of slab and small, shallow wet slides are possible in steep terrain in isolated areas.
Dense wind slabs up to two feet in depth are likely to be human triggered in steep wind, loaded avalanche starting zones at the upper elevations and could be human triggered at the mid elevations. These slabs could fail on density differences within the recent new snow or on hard old snow surfaces and were formed by west-southwest winds.
Expect light, scattered snow showers on Wednesday as westerly flow brings Pacific moisture to the region. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the upper teens before rising into the mid to upper 20s during the day. Southwesterly ridgetop winds will range from 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE on Wednesday. Backcountry travelers could trigger newly developed, dense surface slabs one to two feet deep in steep, wind-loaded terrain. Due to the density of these slabs, the consequences of being caught are higher than with typical slabs of this depth.
