At the mid and upper elevations dense surface slabs lie upon persistent weak layers. Dense slabs on persistent weak layers are tricky and hard to manage with respect to route selection and risk. Many slopes may appear to be stable while others are not. Evaluate the snow pack and terrain carefully as the consequences of triggering a dense slab avalanche could be severe.
At the mid and upper elevations dense surface slabs formed by west to southwest winds lie upon several persistent weak layers. These slabs are one to two feet in depth and could be human triggered on a variety of aspects.
The current storm is to bring precipitation through the night although the bulk of the moisture is to occur before midnight. Temperature at 10000 feet are to drop into the upper teens by morning as the snowfall diminishes. On Thursday morning, skies could be partly clear before another system arrives by noon. This system is to bring more intense snowfall and very strong winds. Snow should continue into Friday morning. The general avalanche hazard is expected to be Considerable on Thursday. Dense heavy snow earlier in the week combined with new tonight and during the day on Thursday are all associated with strong wind events. Wind slabs that lie over a snowpack with weak faceted snow layers will grow in size as the next storm hits on Thursday. These slabs are expected to be very sensitive to skiers and riders on a variety of aspects particularly during the afternoon when heavy snowfall is expected.
