This storm was a dud for the Abajos with an inch or two of new snow falling but we'll get another chance later today and tonight as the next system moves in. Look for snow showers to develop later today along with increasing SW winds. 3"-7" are possible by this evening with a few inches more tonight.
Snowpack
Sun and very warm temps this week have had their way with exposed surfaces but without a solid re-freeze crusts will be punchy this morning. Sheltered, northerly aspects are where you will find the best snow, unfortunately, these are the same areas where you are most likely to find a problem. Though warm conditions this week have helped to strengthen and consolidate the snowpack, a real possibility still exists for triggering an avalanche 1'-2' on a buried persistent weak layer of weak, sugary, facets. This problem is becoming more isolated to slopes facing NW-N-NE but outlying problems may still exist on W and E facing slopes. The weakest snow can be find on shady slopes right around treeline and below, and I expect we will continue to experience signs of instability such as collapsing and whumphing in these areas. The bottom line is that I'm not ready to trust this weak layer, and with snow in the forecast for the weekend, I'm anticipating another round of dangerous conditions.