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Donate to our Spring Campaign, or
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Skies are clear.
With a storm developing off to the west, winds have picked up overnight from the south and are blowing 10-15 with gusts to 20.
Mountain temperatures are wicked hot with overnight "lows" in the low to mid-40s. Highs reached into the upper 40s to mid-50s yesterday.
Today look for sunny skies and increasing high cirrus by late afternoon. Winds will remain generally light (less than 15mph) from the southwest. Mountain temps will be a touch warmer than yesterday. Your window for safe travel on supportable crusts will be earlier and more narrow than it has over the last couple of days.
Thursday will be just a touch cooler but with more cloud cover and moderate winds from the southwest. Blessed relief, if not salvation, arrives Saturday with much cooler temps, if not a momentary return to winter. In truth, the models hint at a somewhat active weather pattern for the week.
The wet snow shed cycle has begun. Yesterday went off with widespread natural wet avalanching on many steep solar aspects and
even some low and mid-elevation northerly facing couloirs. These were primarily wet loose avalanches leaving debris piles easily large enough to bury a person. Cornices, too, were tender and a large cornice fall along the Cascade ridgeline triggered a large hard slab avalanche below that ran over 2000' down the slope in upper Bunnels Fork of the South Fork. This avalanche was on a steep east facing slope at nearly 11,000' was 3.5' deep and 200' wide failing on weak sugary facets near the ground. This path avalanched earlier this winter. (
Cascade ridgeline report) pic 1
UAC and UDOT teams noted and intentionally triggered many wet loose avalanches with daytime heating. pic 2 SZ Wall
