Avalanche Advisory Archive Pre-2016
| Date Issued: | 2010-03-05 |
|---|---|
| Danger: | 3 |
| Trend: | 2 |
| Probability: | 3 |
| Size: | 2 |
| Problem: | 0 |
| Discussion: | The National Weather Service Forecasts- TODAY, SNOW DEVELOPING IN THE MORNING. WINDY. SNOW ACCUMULATION 1 TO 3 INCHES. HIGHS AROUND 36. EAST WIND INCREASING TO 15 TO 25 MPH IN THE MORNING...THEN INCREASING TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. TONIGHT...RAIN. VERY WINDY. SNOW LEVEL 800 FEET. LOWS AROUND 35. SOUTHEAST WIND 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 100 PERCENT. TUESDAY...RAIN AND SNOW. WINDY. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP 1 TO 2 Yesterdays field tests showed that this new snow was bonding fairly well to the old snow surface. There are still multiple weak layers. There are definitely pockets of slab that can avalanche. Wind transported snow drifting and building slabs is expected to continue through today and tomorrow. With cooler temperatures and a much lower snow accumulation rate Avalanche danger is considerable at this time. Currently in the urban areas down low there is very little to no snow. Backcountry slides could be larger especially in higher elevation areas. On the upper mountain, where snow loads are greater right now, there is amazing spatial variability. The snow is greatly different at every elevation due to our recent widely varying temperatures. The snow is also very different on every aspect due to heavy wind and lots of previous sun. The last few days new snow is starting to bond a little better to the snowpack in place. But there are still multiple weak layers to watch. In the last 48 hours we have added much more than a foot of new snow in windloaded areas. This new snow is sitting on mostly rotten snow from all the previous warm weather. The snowpack was near freezing and moisture saturated. During this cooler period we are in now the lower snowpack is draining off its free moisture and cooling slightly which will hopefully add to this base layers stability over time... But the base layers stability will remain questionable in areas for some time. |
| Tip: | This is a good time to remember the 5 simple red flage of avalanche danger: Wind- Warming- New Snow- Recent avalanches- Whoomphing, Cracking, Colapsing- |