Temperatures at 5 AM were around five degrees cooler than yesterday morning. At the mid and upper elevations, skiers and riders venturing onto steep, avalanche-prone slopes could trigger small to large wind slabs. West-southwesterly ridgetop winds picked up late in the day on Friday and continued overnight. These winds were strong enough to transport snow near upper elevation ridgelines, and terrain with obvious signs of recent wind loading should be avoided. When evaluating the upper portion of the snowpack, look for failures in density breaks and examine the degree to which the recent snowfall is bonding to sun and rain crusts. The snowpack is mostly stable at the lower elevations and avalanches are unlikely.
Above 7,500 feet, pockets of wind slab up to two feet in depth could be triggered by backcountry travelers in steep, wind-loaded avalanche starting zones, couloirs and cliff areas. These slabs could fail on density breaks within the recent snowfall or possibly down to sun and rain crusts below.
Flow aloft will abruptly shift to the north overnight before backing to the west during the day on Sunday. This weather pattern will bring a cool, moist weather system out of western Canada that will bring overcast skies and light to moderate snowfall through the day. Overnight lows in the mountains will be near zero before rising into the low teens in the afternoon. Westerly ridetop winds will back to the southwest at 20 to 30 miles per hour.The general avalanche hazard is expected to be MODERATE on Sunday. New snow and moderate to strong winds will increase the depth and volume of recently formed wind slabs which rest upon sun crusts and areas of mildly faceted snow. Skiers and riders entering steep, avalanche-prone terrain could trigger these slabs to depths of six to eighteen inches. A slight chance remains for failures down to the early February rain crust, which could increase slab depths an additional foot or two.
