Salt River and Wyoming Ranges

The General Avalanche Hazard is LOW in the early morning hours and will rapidly increase to MODERATE as surface crusts break down. If clear skies prevail throughout the day, the hazard will continue to rise to CONSIDERABLE. The potential for dangerous, natural wet-loose and wet-slab avalanche activity will increase on steep, snow-covered slopes as the day progresses. In addition, the possibility for human-trigger, dry-slab avalanches on very steep, shaded aspects above 9,000 feet will also rise with daily warming. These slabs, either wet or dry, are likely to fail on layers of weak, faceted snow that persist within or at the base of the snowpack. With temperatures starting off 5 degrees warmer than yesterday, backcountry travelers should be off of sunlit aspects by late morning.

( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Mostly clear skies on Sunday morning are expected to become partly cloudy later in the day as a weak weather disturbance to the north brushes the area. Temperatures should rise into the low 40s in the mountains and to near 50 in the valley. Ridgecrest winds are forecasted to be 15 to 25 mph out of the West.The General Avalanche Hazard is expected to be LOW at all elevations in the early morning hours and will rapidly increase to MODERATE as surface crusts break down. If clear skies prevail throughout the day, the hazard will continue to rise to CONSIDERABLE. The potential for dangerous, natural wet-loose and wet-slab avalanche activity will increase on steep, snow-covered slopes as the day progresses. In addition, the possibility for backcountry travelers to trigger dry slab avalanches on very steep, shaded aspects will also rise with daily warming. These slabs, either wet or dry, are likely to fail on layers of weak, faceted snow that persist in some areas at the mid pack level or at the base of the snowpack.