Northern San Juan

Avalanche danger will increase with warming throughout the day. It will be easier to trigger a wet snow avalanche on slopes around 35 degrees with around 6 inches of wet, cohesionless snow. Loose snow slides that travel long distances could gouge deeper and leave a dangerous pile of snow at the bottom of a slope or in gullies and creek bottoms. Some wet avalanches could fail as a more dangerous slab of wet snow, and those types of avalanches can be large, destructive, and more difficult to escape.

Start and end your day early. Frequently step off your boards or machine to see how supportive the snow surface is, and avoid traveling on or below steep slopes if you easily sink past your shins into wet, rotten snow. Be aware that multiple nights of no or low freeze means wet snow issues can also be found on northerly-facing slopes at lower elevations later in the day.