Loose Wet
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Possible
- Dimensione
- 1
Even though overnight lows remained above freezing in many places, the snowpack should have radiated enough heat out into the clear night sky for a weak overnight refreeze. Today's plentiful sunshine and warm daytime temperatures will quickly melt through this weak refreeze and allow loose wet snow avalanches to become possible. While most of these loose wet snow instabilities will manifest as small roller balls, pinwheels, and loose wet point releases, some of them could entrain enough snow to cause problems for backcountry travelers. Sun-exposed E-SE-S-SW-W aspects steeper than 35 degrees where the recent snow has not been through enough melt freeze cycles to create good drainage channels in the snow hold the best potential for loose wet avalanches today. In some areas where less new snow existed or where firm wind packed or scoured surfaces existed after the recent storm, the surface snow has already experienced enough melt-freeze cycles to become corn snow and loose wet snow instabilities may be less common on these slopes.
Sinking into wet snow above boot-top height, small surface wet snow instabilities like pinwheels or roller balls, and other recent loose wet snow avalanches can all indicate that enough wet snow exists for problematic loose wet avalanches to occur. These clues usually indicate that the snow conditions have become less fun to recreate on as well. At this point finding a more frozen aspect or switching activities represents a great way to stay safe and keep having fun.