At the mid and upper elevations pockets of unstable snow persist and pose a threat to skiers, riders or snowmobilers who venture into steep, wind loaded avalanche starting zones. Triggering even a small slab avalanche above a cliff or terrain trap on in steep rocky terrain could have significant consequences. Avalanches are unlikely at the lower elevations.
At the upper elevations pockets of soft, surface slab one to two feet in depth could be triggered by humans in steep avalanche starting zones and cliff areas. At the mid elevations low hazard does not mean no hazard. Humans who venture into extreme terrain like steep chutes, couloirs or cliff areas could trigger isolated pockets of soft surface slab up to 18 inches in depth.
A strong temperature inversion is expected to develop overnight. On Friday skies will be mostly sunny. Temperatures will rise into the 20s in the mountains from overnight lows in the single digits above zero. Winds will be southwesterly at 20 miles per hour.At the upper elevations some potential may remain for humans to trigger slab avalanches one to three feet deep in steep avalanche starting zones and cliff areas. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE at the higher elevations and LOW at the mid and lower elevations.
