Loose Wet
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Possible
- Taille
- 1–1.5
Thursday will be another warm, sunny day, with temperatures approaching 40 F at near-treeline elevations (around 7,000-8,000 feet). As the day warms, small loose wet avalanches will be possible on steep slopes that are facing the sun. Avoid steep, sunny slopes if you're sinking into slushy snow. Use extra caution above terrain traps, like gullies, cliffs, and tightly spaced trees, as these could make a small avalanche much worse.
You're most likely to find loose wet avalanches at lower elevations (for example, Santiam Pass). On Wednesday, temperatures got into the mid-40s at the Moon Mountain Weather Station (7450'). This was enough to warm and soften the snow on solar slopes, but it wasn't enough for loose wet avalanches. The alpine should get a solid refreeze on Wednesday night, and Thursday will be slightly cooler, so loose wet avalanches will be unlikely on Thursday. Still, low danger means small avalanches can still happen in isolated or extreme terrain. It's good practice to monitor any snow surface that's getting warmed by the sun and move off steep slopes if you notice roller balls, pinwheels, and other indicators of loose wet avalanches.