Accumulating snow and strong winds have elevated the avalanche danger, and the danger will continue to increase throughout the day.
Weather
A broad low-pressure system across the Western US is piping deep moisture from an atmospheric river into the region on a southerly flow. 4"-6" has fallen so far and heavy snowfall is expected this morning with a gradual tapering throughout the day. Another 3"-7" are possible. Winds will shift to the SW and then more westerly later today but will remain in the 20-25 mph range with gusts in the 30's along ridge tops. We'll see a lull in the action on Monday with the next system moving in on Tuesday
Snowpack Summary and General Conditions
Blowing and drifting of the new snow will create sensitive wind slabs on the leeward sides of ridge crests and terrain features in wind exposed terrain today. Fresh drifts are recognizable by their smooth, rounded appearance and cracking is a sign of instability. On steep, northerly aspects a triggered wind slab has the potential to step down into the buried persistent weak layer causing a deeper and more dangerous avalanche. Avoid, all steep, wind drifted slopes today. Soft slab avalanches within the new snow will become increasingly more likely on all aspects as snow accumulates. Pay attention to how the new snow is behaving and look for signs of instability such as cracking in the snow surface.
Travel tip: Avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees that have more than about 8" of new snow, especially where wind drifted. Utilize test slopes to see how the new snow is behaving and look for signs of instability such as cracking in the snow surface.
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