Be aware of snow conditions that change with elevation and from one aspect to another. Thin storm slabs may exist in the alpine while crusts on sunny and lower elevation slopes may become moist or wet with sun or daytime warming.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Weather Forecast
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy, light flurries. Accumulation 2-5 cm. Ridge wind light, northwest. Alpine Temperature near -5. Freezing level 800 m.MONDAY: Cloudy, light flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind light, west. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1600 m.TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy, light flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind light, southwest. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1600 m.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 2-5 cm. Ridge wind light, south. Alpine temperature near -4. Freezing level 1800 m.
Avalanche Summary
Saturday there were several reports of solar triggered loose, wet avalanches as well as, cornice and glide crack failures up to size 3 on predominantly south to west aspects at all elevations.Last week, on Friday there reports of natural cornices failures up to size 2 on north and northeast facing slopes in the alpine that had little effect on the slopes below, while explosive control produced only small (size 1) storm slabs on similar aspects.Thursday there were reports of sloughs and small (size 1) loose, dry avalanches in steep terrain, and on Wednesday there were reports of both skier triggered and natural wind slab releases up to size 1.5, as well as a size 2 natural cornice failure all on on north aspects between 2000 - 2400 m.And earlier last week; a widespread natural avalanche cycle to size 3 was reported. These were primarily wet loose avalanches on sunny aspects.
Snowpack Summary
A light dusting of snow (5-15 cm) covers a crust on all but high, north facing slopes that still have cold dry snow above a well-settled snowpack. Below 1900 m a surface crust exists on all aspects and will likely breakdown with daytime warming becoming moist in the afternoon.Deeper persistent weak layers from January and December are generally considered dormant, but could wake up with a surface avalanche stepping down, large cornice fall, or a human trigger in a shallow or variable-depth snowpack area. These layers consist of sun crust, surface hoar and/or facets.
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.