Significant new, light density snow has accumulated over the past two days. The new snow has been easily moved onto lee slopes creating dangerous, sensitive soft slabs. Steep areas also hold the potential for human triggered sloughs that could build to dangerous size.
Up to 20 inches of light density snow in the past two days and west to southwesterly winds have created easily triggered soft slabs one to two feet in depth. People venturing into avalanche prone terrain should expect to trigger slides at mid and upper elevations. Yesterday small, soft surface slides were easily triggered. Today the slides will be larger and dangerous.
Human triggered loose snow sloughs have the potential to build to dangerous size in steep areas with enough size to entrain significant snow. Ravines and terrain traps should be avoided.
Snowfall will decrease in the evening with northwest winds around 15 miles per hour and temperatures continuing to drop to near zero by Christmas morning. Christmas day will be partly cloudy with a few lingering snow showers and temperatures rising to 10 degrees. Ridge top winds will be west to southwesterly at 10 miles per hour.A period of moderate west to northwesterly winds Monday afternoon into the evening was easily moving the light density new and available snow onto lee slopes changing the loose snow into slabs. Backcountry travelers may trigger soft slabs one to two feet in depth on lee slopes at mid and upper elevations. Triggered loose sloughs have the potential to develop to dangerous size particularly in chutes, ravines or terrain traps. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Moderate.
