Hazard is at Moderate for upper elevations on Douglas Island and low for mid and lower elevations. Storm slab is continuing to build at upper elevations with 7 plus inches of snow falling overnight, rain is saturating the snowpack at mid and lower elevations. While the storm slab should bond relatively well to old snow surfaces it has not had time to settle yet and may be sensitive to triggering for the time being. Wet loose avalanche activity is likely at mid and lower elevations and is capable of carrying you into unwanted hazards like gullies and terrain traps.
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A storm slab continues to build in the upper elevations, it is coming in warm and wet and should bond well to old snow surfaces, however it will need time to settle out and may be sensitive to triggering until snowfall tapers off.
Wet loose activity is likely in mid and lower elevations this morning and may become a problem at upper elevations as temperatures rise throughout the day. These will be slow moving slides but have the ability to entrain a lot of snow and go a long way before stopping.
While we are still well into the spring thaw, winter is holding on at upper elevations with a sizable storm slab building in upper start zones. So far we have not seen any evidence of avalanches stepping down into deeper older layers as water continues to percolate through the snowpack. The current weather pattern of significant precipitation looks to remain in place through at least midweek and temeperatures should stay just cool enough for storm slab to continue to build at ridgetops, especially during the overnight hours. This storm slab could remain sensitive to triggering until it has some time to settle out. Large, unsupported, upper elevation, steep slopes are going to be the most likely areas to trigger a slide. It is also the time of year to give cornices a wide berth as daytime temperatures continue to rise. Continue to practice good travel etiquette, ride, ski, sled one at a time, and avoid terrain traps.
