Recent storm snow continues to consolidate. If the sun comes out today, watch for wet sluffs on sunny aspects and the danger to rise to MODERATE. Use caution around gullies and terrain traps if you see rollerballs or pinwheels.
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Above 6500 ft.
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5000-6500 ft.
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3500-5000 ft.
The snow surface remains soft and vulnerable to loose wet avalanches if it moistens under strong solar radiation. With sunshine in the forecast for this morning, watch for the recent snow to sluff off of steep, sunbaked slopes. Pay attention to cloud cover and look for rollerballs, pinwheels, or point releases from rocky areas as signs of instability. If the sun is out, use caution around gullies, cliffs, or other consequential terrain.
The foot of snow that fell on Monday is generally consolidating and bonding well to underlying surfaces. Watch for isolated instabilities, especially behind leeward terrain features or on convexities. Look for cracking to identify unstable snow.
Cloud cover over all but the Southern Swan Range prevented wet loose activity from developing yesterday. This preserved the dry and powdery snow surface at upper elevations, which remains vulnerable to wet loose avalanches if the sun comes out. The accuracy of today's forecast teeters on another challenging cloud forecast. It looks like we'll see a mix of sun breaking through patchy clouds this morning, before a thicker shield of clouds arrives this afternoon. Temperatures should be about 5 degrees warmer than yesterday. If the forecast verifies, southeasterly aspects will catch the brunt of solar-induced wet loose action this morning before activity shuts off this afternoon. The storm snow is consolidating and the expected size of wet loose activity is decreasing, but we could see some D2s sluffing out of longer running terrain if the snow surface warms up rapidly this morning.
If we remain under good cloud cover, or on shaded aspects, your primary concern is watching for slabs or dry sluffs involving the new snow, which is generally 6" to 15" deep around our forecast area. Observers are reporting good bonding with minimal signs of instability. You may encounter some recent wind drifting near ridgelines or pockets of unstable snow in steep, variable terrain. Remain vigilant in your snowpack assessments.
Cloud cover will increase this morning ahead of the next Pacific system. Mountain temperatures will rise from the mid 20s to mid 30s today under calm winds. A mix of rain and snow kicks off on Thursday with freezing levels lowering through Thursday night.
| Wednesday | Wednesday Night | Thursday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Cover: | Increasing clouds | Isolated showers | Rain developing |
| Temperatures: | 40 to 45 deg. F. | 30 to 35 deg. F. | 45 to 50 deg. F. |
| Wind Direction: | SW | S | S |
| Wind Speed: | 0 to 5 | 0 to 5 | 0 to 5 |
| Snowfall: | 0 in. | 0 in. | 0 in. |
| Snow Line: |
This advisory applies only to backcountry areas outside established ski area boundaries. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur. This advisory expires at midnight on the posted day unless otherwise noted. The information in this advisory is provided by the USDA Forest Service who is solely responsible for its content.
