The National Weather Service Forecasts-

TODAY...WINDY. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. NO SNOW ACCUMULATION. SNOW LEVEL 1400 FEET IN THE MORNING. HIGHS AROUND 38. TEMPERATURES SLOWLY FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON. SOUTHEAST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH DECREASING TO 10 TO 15 MPH IN THE LATE MORNING.

TONIGHT...RAIN LIKELY. SNOW LIKELY LATE. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 2 INCHES. SNOW LEVEL 500 FEET IN THE EVENING. LOWS AROUND 31. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

SATURDAY...SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY...MIXING WITH RAIN IN THE
AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION 1 TO 2 INCHES. HIGHS AROUND 38.
NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

We have received 80mm (3.2\")of precipitation in the last 48 hours. This left about 40cm (16\")of new snow at the Mt Roberts Tram Summit and slightly less at Eaglecrest. This is quite a bit of high density snow for a 48 hour period and places tremendous stress on the weak layers that were previously in place.

If you look further back to Monday afternoon we have received 110mm (4.2\") of rain in 3.75 days. This brought a total of almost 70cm (2'4\")of new snow since Monday. This deposited huge wind slabs in places.

Winds averaged 20-30 knots out of the SSE during most of this cycle. Last night they picked up to 30-60 knots from 8-12pm.

Temperatures warmed yesterday to +1 at the tram summit and right to 0 at the Eaglecrest Summit.

Todays forecast calls for as much as another 1\" of rain in the next 24 hours and temperatures remaining warm through the morning. Avalanche Danger is HIGH at this time.

Potentially destructive natural avalanches likely to come near or reach developed areas, natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Temperatures and precipitation rates are expected to start to fall later today. This should start to allow our snowpack to stabilize further.

Yesterday at Eaglecrest the avalanche control was producing huge results with slabs releasing from 1-5' deep!

Today you can assume that skier triggers of those same depths may be possible in places in the backcountry.

This is spookey snow... the kind that may not avalanche on the first or second guy down a slope... it may be waiting for you to break up the slab a bit... but once it gets moving it was traveling far and fast... a place you dont want to be...

Avoid steep, open, windloaded slopes, unsupported convex rolls and terrain traps.

Things will continue to get better. But today is still a great day to use EXTREME caution if you choose to be in avalanche prone areas. Limit your danger by simply limiting your exposure. Give conditions another day to stabilize and tomorrow will be a much safer, cooler, more powder filled day..

USE CAUTION MY FRIENDS... Were almost out of the woods with this high danger avalanche cycle...

This is a great video and worth sharing with friends...

http://vimeo.com/38078462