Last week's fresh snow created a more cohesive slab on widespread preexisting layers of very weak faceted snow. In many areas the overload of heavy new snow was just enough to activate these layers and cause dangerous slab avalanches. On slopes facing the north half of the compass, people are likely to trigger soft slab avalanches failing on a buried persistent weak layer. Persistent weak layers consisting of faceted snow sandwiched between crusts exist in some more sunny terrain, and some may be becoming active now as they are overloaded by drifted snow. Red flags of snow instability are apparent in the backcountry, avalanches have been observed locally, and we've received reports of extensive audible collapses and cracking.

• Avoid fresh drifts on the lee side of major ridges and in and around terrain features like around and below cliff bands, gully walls, and sub-ridges.

• As new snow piles up on steep mountain slopes today soft slab avalanches will become possible for people to trigger, and natural avalanches may occur during periods of particularly heavy snowfall.
• Loose dry avalanches (or sluffs) of fresh snow are possible in sheltered terrain on very steep slopes at all elevations.
• Rain on the snow at lower elevations today could saturate the recent snow and create a danger of loose wet avalanches. On sustained slopes, loose wet avalanches could pile up deeply, especially in terrain traps like gullies, sinks, and benches.