Last week's heavy 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. More snow fell and drifting occurred yesterday and overnight, which continued to load slopes with poor snow structure. 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. Observers in the Logan Zone have reported signs of instability in the backcountry, across the zone, including audible collapsing 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.

1. Shallow soft slab avalanches of storm snow are possible for people to trigger in steep upper and mid elevation terrain, and loose dry avalanches (or sluffs) of fresh snow are possible in sheltered terrain on very steep slopes.
2. Intense and high angled March sun today could saturate the fresh 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.