Conditions will remain tricky until temperatures cool. Avalanche activity continues to occur sporadically during brief periods of precipitation or sun. Minimize exposure to overhead avalanche terrain and slopes threatened by cornices.
Weather Forecast
Wed and Thurs will be mainly cloudy with flurries. Freezing levels remain around 1800m with alpine temps steady at -1'C. On Friday, freezing levels rise to 2800m with an alpine high of +2'C. Wet flurries at ridgetop and light rain at lower elevations are forecast, although amounts are light. Throughout the forecast moderate SW winds are expected.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 20cm of snow has buried moist snow from the weekends rain. 140cm have fallen since Feb 1 and settled to ~1m of settled storm snow over the Jan 30 layer. This layer formed a crust to 2200m with spotty surface hoar distribution. Jan 15 surface hoar layer is down 100-150cm and continues to be reactive in tests.
Avalanche Summary
Avalanche activity continues during periods of precipitation, with large avalanches running into fans. Reports from skiers in the region are of touchy conditions, with remote triggering of slabs up to 1m deep and wide propagations. Below 1500m moist snow is touchy and easily triggered by skiers, especially on steep gully like features.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.