Temperatures are increasing slightly. How much the sun can affect the snowpack and increase the potential for triggering loose wet avalanches depends on the cloud coverage.
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clear, moderate southeast winds, alpine temperature of -5 C, freezing level at 1400 m THURSDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, up to 2 cm snow accumulation overnight, light to moderate Easterly winds, alpine temperatures of -4 C, freezing level at 1800 m.FRIDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, light Easterly winds, alpine temperatures of -2 C, freezing level at 2000 m.SATURDAY: Few clouds, light Southerly winds, alpine temperature -2 C, freezing level at 2000 m
Avalanche Summary
On Tuesday several loose avalanches and slab avalanches up to size 2 which released in the recent storm snow were reported. No avalanche activity was reported on Sunday and Monday.
Snowpack Summary
The recently formed wind slabs in the alpine are bonding well to the underlying layers. On higher north aspects above 2000 m it may sit on some dry, faceted snow and/or isolated old wind slabs. At most other places the new snow is sitting on either moist snow or a crust. There are still a handful of melt/freeze crusts, surface hoar and facets in the upper snowpack, but all of these layers appear to have gone dormant for the time being. The snowpack at mid and upper elevations is gaining strength in consecutive nights with below freezing temperatures.
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.