Gunnison

The avalanche danger is LOW.  The snowpack has matured through numerous freeze-thaw cycles and is generally safe. Low elevation temperatures climb above freezing today, but a mostly cloudy to overcast sky should keep any wet avalanche concerns from developing. 

Following a dramatic wet cycle last weekend, the snowpack has been quiet over the last week. The lack of recent avalanches is thanks to continued overnight freezes and the number of freeze/thaw cycles we've seen to this point. The snowpack in the Gunnison River Basin peaked on March 31st. This peak was below average for total water in the snowpack, and earlier than average for its peak date. The poor snowpack has now been in a steep decline and melting quickly for all of April, so far... Hopefully, that changes. The things I lost around the house last fall, recently popped back out as the snow melted away. I guess that's exciting?

While we don't have much snow in the immediate forecast, we will at least see the quickly melting snowpack slow down. The snow forecast tonight doesn't look like much and there are no notable changes expected in tomorrow's avalanche forecast. Anywhere that manages to pick up a few inches of new snow could see some shedding tomorrow when the sun comes out. However, the amount of new snow expected will mostly just bake in, create some sticky snow surfaces maybe and shed some rollerballs.

Continue to give cornices their due caution. Cornice falls have been the culprit of several large avalanches over the past few weeks. Cooler temperatures have diminished the threat of cornice falls compared to a week ago, but there is an element of randomness to these overhangs trundling downslope. Check out this observation from Sunday of a sagging cornice on Mt. Emmons.  

Our final Virtual Fireside Chat of the season is tonight.  Dr. Erich Peitzsch, with the U.S.G.S., will be joining us from Glacier National Park, where he has been conducting research on wet avalanches, using drones to study the snowpack, avalanche fatality trends in the U.S., and more.  Join us at 7 p.m. tonight at this link: https://zoom.us/j/94179033141