Human triggering is a concern right now. This latest storm will require us to be patient while the layers bond and adjust to fresh loading. Many avalanches will run further than expected; limit overhead exposure, even below treeline.
Fresh windslabs exist in all alpine areas. They appear to be mostly soft slabs and sensitive to triggering. We are in the human triggering phase of our post storm snowpack recovery.
Gullies and high alpine faces are still prone to sluffing. Expect this to continue, especially if it cools off over the next few days or if winds shift/pick up. Sluffs may trigger slopes below.
Evidence of a widespread cycle yesterday. Size 2.5 alpine windslabs were very common with the occasional 3 being recorded. Natural activity seems to have stopped today, but explosive results still had a couple sz 2.5's. All avalanches had huge entrainment and were running fast and far.
Yesterday's snow has settled quite a bit. Avalanche control today had reactive slabs about 30cm thick. Weather stations have shown about 15cm of settlement from the original 50. Looking around at the natural avalanches from yesterday, it appears the sun crust from earlier in the week, and maybe even the Feb 14th layer is a worry. While there were a few very large avalanches, many of them were pockets peppered throughout the range. Aspect and incline are playing a roll in where avalanches are happening. The theory is avalanches were starting on steep solar (possible crust) and propagating into the polar aspects. As far as wind loading goes, the flight this morning didn't show the widespread wind effect we expected. Slabs are there, but many windward aspects are still holding snow. Cornices were very sensitive today, many falling off sympathetically to nearby avalanches.
Tomorrow will start colder than today. Morning lows could be in the -20 range with some warming by mid day. Flurries may add a few centimeters, but only a handful. Winds will shift tonight and flip to a NE flow. While cold, the winds will be light at most elevations.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
