Hello
and good morning, this is Toby Weed of the
Current Conditions: You should find good, if somewhat shallow,
fresh powder conditions across the region.
The
Avalanche Conditions:
A few shallow natural and triggered new snow avalanches
were reported in the
Somewhat strong west winds accompanied
snowfall yesterday afternoon, and north winds overnight and this morning were
and are plenty strong enough to drift significant quantities of the light fresh
snow into ridge-top and upper elevation avalanche starting zones. The moderate winds are perfect for building cornices
and depositing sensitive slabs below them on lee slopes. You should watch for and avoid large cornices
and obvious drifts or wind slabs on steep slopes. Possible clues include smooth, chalky looking
or stiffer feeling snow, hollow drum-like sounds, or shooting cracks.
Bottom Line: Overall there’s
a MODERATE danger
in the backcountry, and triggered wind slab avalanches consisting of new snow
are possible on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, especially in exposed
upper elevation terrain. Pockets with a CONSIDERABLE danger may
exist in fetch areas near ridge-tops and on a few upper elevation lee slopes
with significant deposits of wind-drifted snow.
Use good snow assessment and safe travel techniques and avoid steep
drifted slopes in the backcountry today.
Mountain Weather:
We’ll perhaps see a few clouds and snow
showers in the mountains today, but the sun will also be out as a ridge of high
pressure builds over the region. Temperatures
should stay pretty cold today, but it’ll warm up with fair weather conditions
and south winds tomorrow in advance of the next storm system, which will affect
the region from Monday night into Wednesday.
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.