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Avalanche Information
Friday, April 22, 2005 7:30 pm
Good evening, this is Evelyn Lees with the
Current Conditions:
Tuesday’s 12 to 18 inches of powder got a blast of heat, and widespread sluffing
of the new snow occurred on steep slopes
of most aspects and at most elevations. While
the new snow hasn’t gone through enough melt-freeze cycles to be true corn, surface
crusts will probably be supportable for a short time Saturday morning,
especially if skies are partially clear Friday night.
Mountain Weather:
Friday night will be partly cloudy and warm, with both 8,000 and 10,000’
temperatures near or just above freezing. Then a mild southerly flow will bring
increasing moisture into the area on Saturday, with a Pacific storm moving in Saturday
night, and lingering through Monday. Increasing
clouds Saturday, with 8,000’ highs in the upper 50’s and 10,000’ highs in the
mid 30’s. Winds will be from the south,
in the 20 to 35 mph range. 3 to 6” of
snow are possible Saturday night, with additional accumulations on Sunday. Temperatures will gradually cool into the mid
20’s at 10,000’. Snow totals by Monday afternoon
will be in the 6 to 12” range.
Avalanche Information:
The main concern for the weekend will be wet sluffs, mostly confined to this past
week’s snow. So timing and aspect are
the two words that sum it up for anyone heading into the backcountry this
weekend. With a warm night Friday, a very
early start on Saturday is advised. As
the day heats up, pay close attention to the snow, and change aspect or head
home when the snow gets wet and sloppy. On
Saturday, I expect mid and upper elevation northerly facing slopes to be
particularly active, in addition to sunnier slopes. So don’t let a wet sluff catch you in the
wrong place – such as in continuously steep terrain where you could go for a
long ride, above a cliff, or in a terrain trap such as a gully, where the snow
could pile up deeply. As the snow heats up on Saturday, human triggered
avalanches will be probable on steep slopes of all aspects, and natural
avalanches possible.
On Sunday, watch for sluffing
of the newest snow, especially in wind drifted areas. Both the temperatures and the old snow will
cool rather slowly, so it could be possible to trigger slides into damp old snow
on Sunday, resulting in a larger slide. So do quick hand pits and pole jabs to help
determine how consolidated or frozen the older snow is.
If you run across anything we should know about, please call and leave a
message at 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or e-mail us at [email protected]. Fax is 524-6301.
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.
We’ll update this forecast as
conditions warrant, and thanks for calling.