Overnight temperatures did not dip below freezing in much of the forecast area and highs are expected to be near 40 degrees at 10,000ft. Temperatures overnight did not allow the snowpack to recover from yesterday’s warmth. Wet snow avalanches will be possible on solar aspects at all elevations and all aspects below 7,500ft. Avalanches are expected to be relatively small but can entrain enough snow to catch a person or snowmobile. Being pushed into a terrain trap will magnify the consequences if caught. Drew Gibson,Forecaster
The danger of loose wet avalanches will increase during the day. As temperatures warm it will become easier to trigger these slides. Loose wet avalanche conditions will be found on steep slopes throughout the mountains today. Carefully assess steep terrain and the runouts of steep terrain. Natural avalanches will be possible so pay close attention to overhead hazards.
Across the majority of the forecast area temperatures will drop into the high twenties near 9,000ft tonight. Elevations near and below 9,000ft in the Southwest Trails/Grey’s River area will only dip to freezing. Scattered clouds continue overnight and tomorrow morning with southwest wind averaging in the teens. Things will get warm mid-day with highs in the mid-thirties. Clouds will increase during the day as the next system approaches tomorrow evening. The Southwest Trails/Grey’s River area will see snow first as the system moves north. Expect very light accumulations until the bulk of the storm hits Saturday. Cold temperatures tonight will help freeze the snowpack. Warming temperatures will return tomorrow and will soften things up, but with increasing clouds through the day it is hard to say how much. In the morning the avalanche danger will be Low. As ambient air temperatures increase and the sun peeks through, stability is likely to deteriorate quickly. Moderate danger for loose wet avalanches will exist on solar aspects when the snow softens. Tomorrow, careful assessment of the snowpack will be needed to identify the depth of the freeze. Traveling earlier in the day will help reduce uncertainty with stability.
