With spring conditions, avalanche hazard can change quickly during periods of warming or from a blast of wet spring snow. Start early and keep track of any accumulating snowfall.
A dusting of wet flurries is forecast to start Tuesday. Any fresh snow will slide easy on the crust below. Take care where wind moves snow to deeper, more cohesive deposits.
Cornices are large and fragile. Warm temperatures and sun, or loading from rain or snow increases their likelihood of failure. Any release could be catastrophic.
MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with isolated flurries, 5 cm. Gusty 15-35 km/h southwest wind, alpine low temperature -2 C. Poor overnight re-freeze expected with freezing level staying above 2000 m.
TUESDAY: Wet flurries, 5-10 cm. 20-40 km/h southwest wind. alpine high temperature +1 C, freezing level slowly falling to 1800 m overnight.
WEDNESDAY: Scattered flurries, 10-20 cm accumulating by morning. 20-30 km/hr southwest wind, alpine high temperature +2 C, daytime freezing level around 1600 m.
THURSDAY: Scattered cloud. Light west wind, alpine high temperature +3 C, daytime freezing level rising above 2100 m.
A few loose wet avalanches occurred Sunday from steep south-facing alpine slopes. Please consider posting your observations to the Mountain Information Network to supplement our data stream and help fellow recreationists.
The snowpack has transitioned to spring-time conditions, with overnight crusts transitioning to moist snow during the day, and isolated and lingering winter-ish conditions at the highest shaded elevations. Overall the snowpack is strong, consisting of hard snow and various melt-freeze crusts. At ridge top, remember that cornices are large and looming. The snowpack deteriorates rapidly at lower elevations.
