Avalanche danger may increase with warm mountain top temperatures and sunny skies. Conditions may change quickly, so back off slopes and use extra caution by the afternoon.
Rising freezing levels may increase avalanche activity. There may be isolated pockets of reactive wind slab where a buried surface hoar layer exists.
High freezing levels and sunshine may cause surface snow to lose cohesion and produce wet avalanches in steep terrain features.
With warm mountaintop temperatures, natural and human-triggered wet avalanches are possible on Thursday.
A few (size 1.5) explosive-controlled avalanches were reported on Tuesday.
On January 30-31, numerous natural, human-triggered, and explosive-triggered avalanches were reported throughout the region. All occurring on the mid-January buried surface hoar/facet/crust layer.
A thin melt-freeze surface crust may exist to mountain top but will soften with warming during the day. Below this, 15 to 20 cm of moist snow sits over a surface hoar/ crust layer, which was buried in late January. The buried surface hoar is largest in sheltered treeline and below treeline terrain.
Strong southwest wind may have formed pockets of stiff wind slab on upper elevation northeast slopes.
The mid and lower snowpack is well settled.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear skies. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 3100 m.
Thursday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 3300 m.
Friday
Sunny. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 3100 m.
Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 mm of rain at treeline. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
