The strong, southwesterly winds drifted snow much of the night, and the drifts will be most widespread on slopes facing the north 1/2 of the compass. These drifts could be one to two feet deep, along both mid and upper elevation ridge lines and off ridge lines, deposited mid slope. Watch for drifts cross loaded around terrain features such as mid slope break overs and sub ridges. Signs of wind drifts include cracking of the snow and looking for and avoiding smooth, rounded pillows of snow.

Any new cornices will be sensitive, breaking back further than expected and they may break from a distance. Stay well back from corniced edges when traveling on ridge lines and avoid travel beneath them.

With total storm snow depths of 10" possible by late day, new snow slab avalanches and sluffs are likely, especially during periods of heavy snowfall. If there is brief, heavy snowfall where you are, the new snow could become reactive, and natural avalanches occur. Once moving, new snow slides may run on the old crusted surfaces, entraining snow all the way down the slide path. Debris piles would be much larger than expected.

Even at the upper elevations, there is moist snow from yesterday hidden beneath today’s dry snow. Once the dry snow gets moving, it will entrain the moist snow, and result in surprisingly large wet debris piles

The snow got a good soaking yesterday and overnight, with the rain/snow line over 8,500’ at times yesterday. Temperatures have been above freezing for 48 hours at the mid and lower elevations, and are just starting to cool. Wet snow avalanches will be easy to initiate in the soggy snow below about 9,000'. In steep terrain, both wet sluffs and the more dangerous wet slab avalanches are possible. Watch your slope angles at all times, avoiding steep slopes, including roll overs, creek beds and road banks. Avoid being in and below steep chutes and gullies even at the mid and lower elevations today - natural avalanches are possible, and could run long distances from above.

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