Wet avalanches shouldn’t be large enough to bury a person today. As the day progresses, avoid wet snow in terrain that would increase the consequence of even a small avalanche.
Wet loose avalanches should be relatively small in size today. If you find yourself in wet surface snow deeper than several inches, think carefully about the terrain you’re in and what would happen in a small avalanche.
With a decent overnight refreeze and a cool breeze today, snow surfaces will soften more slowly than the past few days. Wet surface snow will still develop on sunny, low and mid elevation slopes sheltered from the wind, but wet avalanches shouldn’t be large enough to bury a person. If you find yourself in wet surface snow deeper than several inches, think carefully about the terrain you’re in and what would happen in a small avalanche.
On the other side of that coin is firm snow causing challenging travel conditions with the risk of long falls and runaway equipment. Look ahead and consider this before you commit to steep terrain, and keep in mind that traction could be highly variable even over short distances.
With record high temperatures forecast later this week, access to snow will be dynamic. CalTrans plans to begin clearing 108 from the east side. Thin snow on the road to Virginia Lakes is melting out quickly. Dirt roads are loosing snow but getting muddy. We’ll be keeping an eye on snow depth at the 108/Leavitt Junction – once it drops below 1ft, the Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area closes to motorized use.
