Hatcher Pass

Today will resemble another return to winter with cooler temperatures.

The avalanche danger remains LOW with the lack of any avalanche problems.

A couple inches of new snow this week has slightly improved our moods and the conditions. 

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The last forecast of the season will be Sunday, April 20th with an additional Spring Outlook the following week. We will continue to publish observations as long as they are submitted. 

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It feels like Spring has played a trick on us. March felt like April, and now April feels like March. The last couple of weeks of warmth, melting and the beginning of the transition from winter to spring, the shed cycle and an isothermal snowpack have been halted, at least temporarily. We have not observed ANY new avalanches this week but instead experienced strong winds on Wednesday followed by 1 to 2 inches of new snow with temperatures barely reaching 20F above 4000' the last several days.  Temperatures considerably cooled off overnight and at 5am stations are reporting 14F at 4500', 18F at 3550' and 19F at 2600'.   

Triggering an avalanche today remains unlikely, with normal caution advised. Below are a couple isolated problems to be aware of. 

WIND SLAB: Strong winds on Wednesday gusted 50-60mph at 4500' for 6 hours and built small, shallow wind slabs with the minimal amount of snow previously available for transport. As a result, the two (and only) parties in the backcountry the latter half of the week observed small cracking out from ski tips approximately 1" deep and 3-5' long in isolated locations, on west to northeast aspects above 4000'. With little to no snow left to transport, last night's southeast gusts reporting 20-34mph are unlikely to continue to contribute to this problem.  These short-lived slabs will be stubborn but not impossible to trigger today at and near leeward ridgelines.

WET LOOSE AVALANCHES: In general, temperatures have been cooler this week, and we have not seen any new loose avalanches. All snow surfaces are frozen this morning and will be locked up most of the day.  Temperatures are barely expected to rise above freezing below 2500'.  If the sun makes an appearance, expect to see small natural wet loose sluffs with this week's meager 1-2" of new snow that will not bond well and slide on old firm surfaces on East to West aspects. 

CORNICES: It's springtime, and that means cornices will begin to break off and become more of a hazard. Cornices are unpredictable.  Give cornices a wide berth and be conservative with your uptracks and approach by limiting time near, underneath, and around them. 

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RECENT AVALANCHES: No new slab avalanches have been observed or reported since 3/29. No recent wet avalanches have been observed in over a week.