Natural avalanches are expected as new snow and wind stress the snowpack.
Avoid any terrain with overhead hazard, persistent weak layers are capable of producing very large avalanches.
New snow and wind will stress weak layers. Surface hoar and facets buried in the upper snowpack have produced recent avalanches. Large loads or step-downs could trigger the more deeply buried weak layers.
Expect deeper and more reactive deposits on north-facing slopes. Storm slabs may step down to wind-affected snow below or buried weak layers.
Several natural persistent slab avalanches were reported on Monday, failing on the March surface hoar. Several stepped down to deeper weak layers producing avalanches up to size 3.
20 cm or more of recent snow has accumulated over previously wind-affected surfaces and crusts on steep south-facing terrain.
Two layers of concern currently exist in the upper-mid snowpack. Surface hoar that formed in early March can be found 80 to 110 cm deep. Additionally, a layer of facets, surface hoar, and/or a crust from mid-February is buried 80 to 180 cm deep.
The remainder of the snowpack is well consolidated, and there are no current concerns.
Thursday Night
Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with flurries. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C as freezing levels rise to 1200 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
