Avalanche forecast

Bridgeport Avalanche Center

Bridgeport Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
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Highlights

Avalanche hazard may increase throughout the day today, as more snow falls in the upper elevations. A combination of wind loading and old snow layers that currently exist in specific areas of the snow pack could create new hazards for the next few days.  Avoid travel in avalanche terrain in these areas, as avalanche probability increases with new snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Wind slab activity will be most prevalent on leeward slopes NW-E in Above Tree Line and Near Tree Line zones.   These slabs could be reactive and will be in specific, wind protected leeward locations.  It looks like winds will be higher earlier in the storm and decrease through Saturday evening and into Sunday.  The wind slabs that formed earlier this week on ridges may come into play and become more reactive with new snow.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Persistent slab avalanches will be in specifically (isolated) terrain and probably stubborn in reactivity, but this likelihood may increase with steeper slope angles and as new snow fall increases..  New snow weight on top of this persistent weak layer (facet/ rain crust interface) will increase size of avalanches but may make them harder to trigger.   Give avalanche terrain and runouts a wide birth till we see what the effect of the new snow has on this layer.

Avalanche Discussion

  • Our current snowpack is shallow, faceted and has sporadic/specific coverage above 9000' is limited mainly to North aspects.  
  • Wind transported snow has been occuring in higher elevations Above Tree Line and Near Tree Line the past few days, and will make for an interesting windboard/new snow interface during this next storm, with a thick facet layer underneath.
  • Lower elevations (below treeline) are still relatively dry and without snow, and this storm totals may bring a few inches of snow above 6000 feet elevation.

Regions covered