Loose Wet
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1
Clear night skies should have allowed yesterday's wet snow to refreeze despite overnight temperatures at or above freezing in many areas above 7000 ft. The strong SW winds and predicted afternoon cloud cover should slow down the formation of wet snow today, but the March sunshine and warm daytime temperatures should still provide enough warming to form wet snow on sun-exposed slopes. In areas with the most warming, some loose wet avalanches may become possible. Steep sun-exposed slopes or areas around rocks, cliffs, and gully features that absorb more solar radiation represent the likely areas for loose wet instabilities to occur.
The snow on sunny slopes will go from firm frozen crusts to shallow wet snow to deeper wet snow as the day warms up. Step off your equipment on a regular basis to check the depth of wet snow. If you sink into wet snow above your ankle, it's time to move to colder aspects or terrain less steep than 30 degrees.
(3/2/2021) Small skier triggered loose wet avalanche on Incline Lake Peak. SE aspect, 8600', at 12pm.
