Weak layers of well developed faceted snow and buried surface hoar persist in the snowpack. Skiers and riders who venture onto steep avalanche prone slopes could trigger slab avalanches that fail on these persistent weak layers.
At the mid and upper elevations surface slabs one to two feet in depth could be human triggered and could step down to weaker layers with depths to four feet. These slabs could be triggered by a single person hitting a weak spot or by larger loads such as snow machines. Steep, rocky, avalanche prone terrain should be avoided today.
An upper level high pressure ridge will build in from the west and bring milder air to the region. Monday will be dry and start out cold with temperatures in the single digits below zero. Skies will be mostly sunny and temperatures will rise into the upper teens. Winds will be northwesterly and diminish from 20 to 10 miles per hour. At the mid and upper elevations the general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE. Wind slabs one to two feet in depth could be human triggered and could step down though weak layers of faceted snow to depths of four feet. At the lower elevations the general avalanche hazard is expected to be LOW.
