One more day of warm sunny weather before the next snowfall arrives. Avoid sun-exposed slopes and cornices at peak midday warming on Wednesday.
Snowfall totals from Sunday's storm varied across the region, with anywhere from 5-20 cm of accumulation. The new snow combined with moderate northeast winds has likely formed fresh wind slabs in lee terrain features at upper elevations that may still be reactive to human triggers.
Cornices are large and fragile. Cornice falls could trigger avalanches on the slopes below.
Expect wet loose avalanches to run naturally when steep slopes are exposed to the sun. Activity will start on east-facing slopes in the morning, south-facing slopes throughout the day, and continue on west-facing slopes into the evening.
Tuesday night: Clear, light winds becoming northwest, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level dropping to valley bottom.
Wednesday: Sunny, light west winds, alpine high temperature -1 C, freezing level 2600 m.
Thursday: Cloudy, 10-20 cm of snow, light northeast wind with moderate ridgetop gusts, alpine high temperature -1 C and dropping through the day, freezing level dropping to valley bottom.
Friday: Cloudy, light southerly wind, alpine high temperature -3 C, freezing level rising to 1800 m.
Recent observations from this region are limited.
On Saturday, there were reports of numerous wet loose avalanches releasing naturally on steep east-facing alpine slopes early in the day. Observers also reported two natural wet slab avalanches that occurred on northeast aspects above 2000 m.
An upslope storm on Sunday brought 5-10 cm of new snow to the region, with 20+ cm accumulating in favored areas. Moderate northeast winds with strong ridgetop gusts have formed fresh wind slabs in exposed areas at upper elevations that may still be reactive to triggers.
Sunny weather is forecast to stick around for Wednesday, which will likely initiate wet loose avalanches in the new snow as it loses cohesion. Cornices are large and looming along ridgelines. Sun and warm temperatures will increase the chances of cornice failures, which could trigger avalanches on the slopes below. Check out the Forecaster's Blog for information on how to manage these spring conditions.
The snowpack is overall strong and settled in most areas. However, steep and rocky alpine slopes with a shallow or thin to thick snowpack may still harbor deeply buried weak layers.
The snow line is slowly creeping up the mountains, making some access areas snow-free.
