Avalanche Advisory Archive Pre-2016

Date Issued:2010-03-24
Danger:2
Trend:2
Probability:3
Size:2
Problem:0
Discussion:

The National Weather Service Forecasts- TODAY...PERIODS OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS AROUND 45. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH DIMINISHING IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. RAIN SHOWERS BECOMING SCATTERED LATE. AREAS OF FOG LATE. SNOW LEVEL 1000 FEET. LOWS AROUND 33. LIGHT WINDS. CHANCE OF SHOWERS 80 PERCENT.

THURSDAY...AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING. OTHERWISE...DECREASING CLOUDS. HIGHS AROUND 41. LIGHT WINDS.

We received serveral inches of snow yesterday at upper mountain elevations.

This snow was accompanied by strong windloading, placing additional snow and stress in wind drifted areas.

During this snow event temperatures have risen by several degrees. This places heavy dense snow over looser lighter snow. Which adds to the instability.

Yesterday in areas around Eaglecrest avalanches were very easily skier triggered and once triggered propagated widely.

This is a sign that the slopes are nearing a natural state of instability.

With increased warm temps and precipitation continuing today the possibility of avalanches occuring naturally is high.

Tip:

This warming trend has the amility to create that upside down snowpack in the next 48 hours. Which is placing heavy wet snow on top of looser lighter snow.

If we see the large volumes of snow and the warming it creates concern as it is always questionable how much weight the snowpack can hold as more mass is accumulated on this week layer of cold, loose, unconsolidated snow.

It is quite like placing bricks on top of pop cans. The stack of pop cans can hold quite a bit of weight, but at a certain point of time you add one too many bricks and the stack of cans fails and the pile comes crashing down.