Hello and good morning, this is Toby Weed of the
Current Conditions: A southwest wind will gradually intensify today ahead of a storm
that will arrive around
Avalanche Conditions:
I
haven’t received any reports of slab avalanches locally since Tuesday when snowmobilers
triggered a handful of somewhat small slabs along the ridge south of
Solar
warming will again heat up already moist and crusty snow on sunny slopes at all
elevations, and crusts that formed overnight will once again quickly
soften. Wet avalanches will be possible
on steep slopes in the middle of the day as the surface snow is re-warmed and
becomes saturated. Watch for roller
balling and other wet activity on similar slopes, and leave or reevaluate if
the snow on the slope you’re on gets sloppy.
At
the beginning of the week, stiff wind slabs formed on south and east facing
slopes on a layer of graupel capping a solid sun-crust. These graupel layers have a tendency to
enhance facet growth, especially when they fall at the interface between warm
old snow and colder new. This and other
existing buried weak layers made up of small sugary near surface facets or
frosty surface hoar indicate that triggered persistent slabs are possible on
some steep slopes. Yesterday evening
brought a spike in northwest winds, and after a shift in direction today, southwest
winds will be on the increase. So,
you’re likely to find a few fresh or forming wind slabs in exposed
terrain. Watch for and avoid obvious
drifts on steep slopes. Possible clues
include; smooth chalky looking snow, hollow sounding stiff snow, shooting
cracks, or whumpfing noises
Bottom Line: There’s a LOW danger on most shady
slopes in the backcountry, and avalanches are generally unlikely in sheltered
terrain where the snow stays cold and dry throughout the day. Pockets with a MODERATE danger exist on other slopes,
and triggered persistent and wind slab avalanches are possible on some upper elevation slopes steeper
than about 40 degrees. Solar warming today will cause the danger to increase
to MODERATE on steep sunny slopes with saturated
surface snow, and both wet sluffs and softened slab avalanches are
possible. Use good snow assessment and
safe travel techniques to minimize your risks.
Mountain Weather:
It will be a warm and sunny day in
the mountains today, but winds shifting around and increasing from the
southwest will herald the coming of another weekend storm. Expect the winds to significantly increase
overnight and clouds will thicken.
Saturday will be windy and snow will fly, especially in the
afternoon. I’m expecting around 6 inches
of accumulation in the mountains. Snow
showers will continue into Sunday. The
next storm is still on tap for around Tuesday.
Avalanche class starts this evening:
Avalanche Basics,
Check out the images page for photos of some of
this season’s avalanches.
Go to
the Avalanche Encyclopedia if you have any questions about terms I use in the advisory.
I'm very interested to
know what you're seeing out there. Please e-mail observations to me
at [email protected] or leave me a message at 755-3638, especially if you see or
trigger an avalanche in the backcountry. We keep all observations confidential.
This advisory will
expire in 24 hours from the posting time.
The information in this advisory is from the
U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This
advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always
occur.