Early morning unseasonably cool temperatures helped slow down the eventual warming of the snow surfaces. And even as late as 1230 low angle E and SE riding was still fun even though the top 3 cm were getting damp. By 1430 NE aspects were already starting to show signs of crusting over; and by the end of the day it appeared that only due north slopes at upper elevations with angles 30 degrees and greater were still housing cold dry snow. Minimal wind scouring damage was noted near many ridgelines on N and NW aspects.
See avalanche report.
And with another 10 degree jump in daytime highs forecast for Tuesday with partly cloudy skies this problem may actually become more widespread on southerly aspects at elevations 9500 feet and greater.
The same holds true for the potential for Wet Loose activity at these upper elevations.
Large Cornices continue to need to be avoided, and with the next few days of elevated daytime highs, along with the latest new addition of water weight we may be seeing another small cycle of natural calving and releasing.
Due to the Natural Wet Slab observed on Monday, it appears that a Considerable Danger rating for the day during daytime heating was applicable. With daytime highs elevating over the next three days and hitting close to 60 on Thursday at 9000 feet it appears that Considerable may be appropriate for afternoon mountain forecasts.
