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Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik for
Monday, March 18, 2024
The overall avalanche danger rating for the Skyline is generally LOW.
LOW does not mean NO avalanche danger. It means there is a low threat, but there is still a threat.
Daytime heating of the snow can make it become unstable.
Simply avoid being on or below steep slopes if they become really wet and sloppy, especially later in the day.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: Warm temperatures and continued east wind are taking their toll on the riding conditions. Almost all areas became damp from the warm temperatures on Sunday. Only the steeper more northerly facing high elevation slopes will have settled dry snow. There will be heat crusts on everything else this morning. East wind was a bit gusty Sunday morning then slowed in the afternoon and picked up a bit again overnight. Temperatures got into the mid 30s in the higher terrain and dropped into the mid 20s overnight.
Mountain Weather: We are going to see the biggest warm up of the season this week. Temperatures will consistently hit 40 degrees each day in the higher terrain. There will be a gradual warming trend through Saturday. Wind from the east today will slow as the day goes on. It will start to shift around and come from the northwest on Tuesday. Weather models still indicate we could see storms moving through toward the end of the month although water amounts don't look as impressive as they did yesterday. Stay tuned.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Overall, the snowpack is mostly stable and there is a low threat of triggering an avalanche.
What you will want to pay attention to is daytime heating causing the snow to get wet and sloppy. It can get to the point where it becomes unstable and produce avalanche activity.
Your best strategy is to avoid steep slopes later in the day that become super wet and sloppy. If you're in a place where you're sinking deeper into wet snow, things are becoming unstable. Stay out of steep gullies and ravines when this happens.
In general, wet avalanche activity usually doesn't pose a great threat to people here on the Skyline but don't let your guard down.
General Announcements
This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.