Loose Wet
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1
Last night's clear skies should have allowed enough heat to escape from the snowpack for a thin refreeze even though temperatures remained above freezing. Today's strong sun and warm daytime temperatures will quickly melt thought this refreeze. Loose wet avalanches will become possible as the crust melts. Some of these could entrain enough snow to have consequences for backcountry travelers, especially on long steep sunny slopes where more recent snow exists.
Conditions will switch from supportable and frozen to loose and wet in a short amount of time. Once the snow surface starts to become unsupportable it is time to either get off the snow or focus on low angle slopes. Today is one of those great days for recreating on snow in the morning then switching activities entirely in the afternoon.