Dry and dusty conditions (high pressure) continues to dominate California’s weather with unseasonably warm temperatures and weak overnight freezes while deflecting storm systems well to the north. As the sun thaws the surface snow, the free water breaks down the bonds between snow grains and layers within the snowpack. As this process continues, the snow looses internal strength and cohesion; the mass of the snow exceeds the snow strength, resulting in a Wet Loose or Wet Slab avalanche. Rocky terrain features can introduce tremendous amounts of heat into the snowpack and cause localized rapid thawing in cirques and gullies. While traveling, watch out for rollerballing, they’re an indicator the snow is loosing strength. Time your travels to be out of steep sunny terrain before the snow thaws from the heat of the day.
Moderate SW winds overnight may have formed isolated Wind Slabs on NW-N-NE aspects in the Alpine where there remains significant snow is available for transport but this prospect is not likely. The moderate winds should help keep the snow surface a little cooler and possibly helpreduce widespread melting.
Below ~9,000’, natural and triggered releases are unlikely due to thin and well-anchored snow coverage (below threshold).
