Southern San Juan

Due to higher-than-forecast wind speeds and more new snow available to drift, we raised the avalanche danger this morning.

You can easily trigger a large avalanche from the bottom of a slope or from a distance. You may not get any warning signs before a slope avalanches. You can expect one to break 3 to 5 feet deep on weak layers near the ground. You can most easily trigger this deep weak layer from areas with a thinner snowpack, such as rollovers, gully edges, and rocky areas. Stick to slopes less than about 30 degrees steepness without steep slopes overhead.