Dangerous wind slab avalanche conditions exist in exposed upper elevation terrain, and the danger will increase and become more widespread during the day as more snow accumulates and is drifted by increasingly strong west winds. Triggered wind slab avalanches are likely on steep slopes with recent deposits of drifted snow. Wind slabs generally form on the lee side of exposed ridge lines, but can also form on any slope aspect, especially in and around terrain features like gullies, scoops, sub-ridges, rock outcroppings, and cliff bands. Avoid steep slopes with recent wind deposits, which are often smooth, rounded and chalky looking, and can sound hollow or drum-like. It is possible that a smaller wind slab avalanche could step down into weak old snow, producing a larger more dangerous avalanche. Triggered and natural sluffs and soft slabs involving the fresh storm snow are likely in steep terrain, and you should avoid traveling below steep slopes, especially during periods of particularly heavy snowfall or gusty winds when natural avalanches will be the most likely.

We still don't know if enough loading occurred yesterday to reactivate widespread persistent weak layers, but with all the obvious drifting going on I suspect at least some avalanches will step down into old snow today. Dangerous human triggered avalanches failing in old weak faceted snow or in the basal layers of the existing snow pack are likely on slopes with poor snow structure, especially in drifted upper elevation terrain. New snow from yesterday or accumulating in the next couple days is likely to reactivate the buried weak layers, and persistent slab avalanches will once again top the danger priority list. I've recently found very weak faceted snow on slopes facing every direction and at all elevations, so we'll find a danger of persistent slab avalanches pretty much anywhere a significant slab layer develops. Audible collapsing or whoompfing is a significant red flag indicating serious persistent slab avalanche potential. Drifting, rapid accumulations, other avalanches and cracking are other red flags to take heed of today. As more new snow piles up creating a cohesive slab layer, it is becoming more likely that you could trigger avalanches remotely, from a distance, or worse, from below.