Be alert to conditions that change with daytime warming. Danger ratings may exceed posted levels when solar radiation is strong.
Weather Forecast
Clear skies are expected on Sunday with increased cloud on Monday and a chance of very light precipitation on Tuesday. Winds will be mostly light from the northwest switching to southwest on Tuesday. Freezing levels may reach 2200m on Sunday, 2500m on Monday and then 2100m on Tuesday.
Avalanche Summary
Natural wet-loose avalanches up to Size 2.5 continue to be reported from throughout the region on solar aspects. Isolated cornice releases up to 2.0 have also been reported.
Snowpack Summary
Clear, warm days and cold nights have brought spring's daily melt freeze cycle to the surface snow on sunny aspects into the alpine and all aspects at lower elevations (below 1800m). On high shaded terrain surface hoar is growing, and warm temperatures have promoted settlement within the upper snowpack. Cornices are huge!The weak layer of buried surface hoar from March 10th is buried more than 100cm in most places, and is now difficult to trigger. Although unlikely to trigger, this deep persistent weakness has the potential for very large avalanches particularly with very heavy triggers such as cornice falls or ice fall.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.