Caution on solar aspects as intense solar radiation and high freezing levels are initiating loose wet avalanches out of steeper terrain. Watch for indications of warm temps such as water on the rocks or pinwheeling of surface snow.
Confidence
Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain on Saturday
Weather Forecast
Tomorrow temperatures are still expected to be warm with freezing levels up to 2900m. Winds are forecast to be light out of the north. No new precip.... That looks a little ways off yet.
Avalanche Summary
Some loose dry avalanches out of steeper terrain up to sz 1 and some loose moist pinwheeling on solar aspects.
Snowpack Summary
The temperatures warmed up today especially at the higher elevations. -1 was observed at 2500m and some of out weather stations were showing temps of +3 at 2200m. So long story short, a bunch of different temperatures were observed in the region. Expect to encounter a sun crust tomorrow morning on solar aspects up to 2600m and dry snow on more polar aspects.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
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.