Another warm night has temperatures starting at or above freezing in the mountains. Snow surfaces will quickly weaken this morning as temperatures rise in advance of a system bringing moisture from the south later today. Consecutive warm nights during the early spring demand respect as both wet loose and wet slab activity as well as natural cornice failure becomes increasingly possible. Deep hard slab avalanches also continue to be a potential hazard in steep upper elevation active avalanche paths. Monitor conditions and avoid steep avalanche prone terrain after significant warming has occurred and snow surfaces have softened.
Warming conditions will increase the potential for snowmobiles to trigger deep hard slab avalanches in very steep upper elevation avalanche paths. These slabs could have depths from two to four feet.
Wet loose slides are possible in very steep terrain on a variety of aspects. These slides could entrain deeper layers of snow to the ground in areas where the snowpack is isothermal.
Large overhanging cornices could fail due to sustained warm temperatures at the higher elevations. Cornice failures could trigger large wet slab avalanches on steep slopes. Avoid cornices and the slopes beneath them.
( Discussion is generated from the previous day's afternoon forecast. )Following a morning with increasing clouds, a system will bring moisture from the south to the area on Saturday afternoon. Temperatures are to stay on the warm side, and the precipitation should fall as rain to at least 9000 feet. The moisture will be showery in nature, and thunderstorms are possible. Winds from the southwest are to increase to fifteen to twenty mile per hour averages.The avalanche hazard will be Moderate on Saturday. In higher terrain where the snow surface freezes overnight, the hazard will be Low in the early morning before quickly returning to Moderate as those surfaces weaken. Warm overnight temperatures in the mountains in the early spring demand respect. This is a period when large cornices could fail or when small wet slides in long steep avalanche paths can entrain large volumes of snow as they descend from above.
