Above 8,000 feet, backcountry travelers could trigger small to large wind slabs in steep, avalanche-prone terrain. As the day progresses, abundant sunshine and warming temperatures will increase the likelihood of triggering these slides and bring about the chance for shallow wet slides. Warming temperatures will also increase the likelihood of cornice failures along high elevation ridgelines. Snow surfaces froze overnight at the lower elevations, and avalanche activity will be unlikely until surface crusts break down.
Very strong southwesterly to westerly ridgetop along with sustained snowfall over the past several days have formed dense wind slabs in leeward terrain. In steep, wind-loaded terrain above 8,000 feet, skiers and riders could trigger these slabs to depths of one to three feet.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )A few scattered snow showers could linger overnight as the upper level trough shifts eastward. On Saturday, expect partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies as flow aloft veers to the northwest. Overnight lows in the mountains will drop into the mid teens before rebounding to near 30 during the day. Westerly to northwesterly ridgetop winds will decrease to 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard at the higher elevations is expected to be CONSIDERABLE on Saturday. Skiers and riders venturing into steep, avalanche-prone terrain could trigger dense wind slabs formed over the last week. These slides are most likely to range in depth from one to three feet if failure occurs on density breaks within the recent snowfall. However, as today’s natural event illustrates, slab depths could be in excess of four feet in some areas. Sunshine and warm afternoon temperatures will increase the likelihood of triggering these slides as the day progresses. If a hard freeze occurs overnight at the lower elevations, the likelihood of avalanche activity will greatly diminish.
