TODAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 51. LIGHT WINDS BECOMING SOUTHWEST 10 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...INCREASING CLOUDS. LOWS AROUND 35. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. .

MONDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS AROUND 51. NORTH WIND 10 MPH.

Yesterday temperatures reached 5.0C(41F) at the Tram and 4.5C(40F) at Eaglecrest. All stations reported temperatures below freezing last night with Eaglecrest being the coldest at -11.1C(12F). Winds were calm and there was no precipitation at any of the stations over the past 24 hours.

Today looks to be yet another beautiful spring day with abundant sunshine. With continued melt and refreeze cycles our snowpack continues to gain strength. Remember on days with strong diurnal warming it is best to travel through avalanche terrain in the morning when the snow has refrozen from the previous days solar warming. With light winds and strong solar warming I expect to see some small wet avalanches in the heat of the day. These slides should remain small in size.

The avalanche danger is LOW today, but may reach MODERATE this afternoon as temperatures reach the mid 40?s in our upper start zones. However, with slightly cooler temperatures than yesterday and a solid refreeze over night, I expect the wet slides to be small in size. Remember to minimize exposure in avalanche runouts in the heat of the day when wet slides normally occur.

This is not a backcountry forecast. Backcountry travelers be sure to do your own terrain and snowpack evaluation as spatial variability exits.

Have a great day!

Powder magazine?s website has a good article on wet slides in the backcountry.

?Spring is in the Northern hemisphere, meaning the days are longer and the coverage is better. Weak layers from the early season are still around in some remote areas, but most have either gained strength, been scrubbed out by full-depth releases, or are too deep to be triggered by most skiers. It?s time to shift focus towards a new enemy in the backcountry?wet slides. These types of avalanches generally occur after the sun does its work on freshly fallen snow or when we enter extended periods of warm weather and poor refreezing. At this point, remember that everything happens faster at warmer temps.

The anatomy of a wet snow avalanche is very similar to that of a dry snow avalanche. The main difference is that in a wet slide, the weak layer is being further weakened rather than overloaded.

This weakening is the result of free water in the snowpack. It can come from a warm storm where rain falls on snow, or when intense sun bakes the snow. The free water percolates down through the snowpack and saturates the slab, causing it to settle and creep downhill with the force of gravity.?

Find the full article at http://www.powdermag.com/avalanche-education/backcountry-essentials-wet-slides/