Winter, or some semblance of, is slowly returning to our area after last weeks abnormally warm and wet conditions. This rain event was responsible for either washing all of the seasons snowpack away or leaving us with a stout rain crust that generally increases in thickness with elevation. At 5000' this crust is 2"+ with a 8-15" crust found above 6000'. Recent small storms, accompanied by our typical westerly winds, have formed wind slabs up to 18" thick in favored locations. The bonding between these wind slabs and the underlying slippery crust (bed surface) is our avalanche concern this weekend. With more snow on tap for tonight and tomorrow these slabs will thicken and possibly become more reactive. In sheltered upper elevation locations the new cohesionless snow may not bond well with the underlying crust and the potential for triggering a loose dry avalanche may become a concern if this weekends storm totals reach or exceed forecasted amounts. Both of the above mentioned problems are easy to identify because they are on the surface and because our snowpack is so thin. Stick your hand or shovel into the snow and test the bonding between the surface snow and the crust.   

Our snowpack observations are limited so if your out and about in the mountains, send us your observations. A picture is worth a thousand words so any information can help us improve our product.