At the mid and upper elevations, backcountry travelers could trigger recently developed wind slabs up to 30 inches deep in steep, wind loaded terrain. Faceted snow persists throughout the snowpack and failure could also occur on these deeper layers with slab depths up to four feet. If skies are mostly clear in the afternoon, these slides may become more susceptible to failure on sunlit aspects. Moderate hazard is not a green light. While the likelihood of triggering these slides is decreasing, the consequences remain high. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully and identify features of concern. At the lower elevations, the snowpack is mostly stable and avalanches are unlikely.
Around 30 inches of snow containing three inches of snow water equivalent fell between Friday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Strong westerly to northwesterly ridgetop winds accompanied this snowfall, creating wind slabs on leeward slopes, which lie upon good sliding surfaces and light density snow. Backcountry travelers could trigger these slabs in steep, wind loaded terrain to depths of 30 inches.
Faceted snow persists throughout the snowpack on a variety of aspects. Recent snowfall has increased the load on these weak layers. If triggered, these slabs could release to the ground with depths of two to four feet.
Mostly clear skies and inverted temperatures will continue on Friday. Overnight lows in the mountains will be in the mid teens before rising to near 30 during the day. Valley lows will be around zero before rebounding into the upper 20s. Westerly ridgetop winds will range from 10 to 20 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE on Friday. Similar slides to today's tragic event are possible in steep, wind loaded terrain. Recently developed wind slabs up to 30 inches deep rest upon good sliding surfaces and could be triggered by backcountry travelers on similar avalanche prone slopes. Faceted snow also persists throughout the snowpack and failure could occur on these deeper layers with slab depths up to four feet. Mostly clear skies and inverted temperatures may make these slides more susceptible to failure in the afternoon on sunlit aspects at the upper elevations. While the likelihood of triggering these slides is decreasing, the consequences remain high. Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully and identify features of concern.
