21-22

<p>Today, cold temperatures, cloudy skies and no more than a couple inches of new snow make avalanches unlikely. If you plan to travel in steep terrain follow safe travel protocols in case you find an isolated unstable slope. Ride one at a time on steep slopes and carry proper avalanche rescue gear. Before skiing or riding steep slopes, dig a couple feet into the snow and look for buried weak layers, unstable drifts of snow, or signs that the snowpack did not refreeze well.</p>

<p>Yesterday’s sunshine and hot temperatures melted the top of the snowpack on most slopes and made it wet and weak. Skiers in the Beartooths, outside the advisory area, watched a natural wet loose avalanche relatively early in the day (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/node/26462"><strong><u>details</u></strong>…;). Today the snowpack will be mostly re-frozen and stable. In places that temperatures were slower to cool or are still above freezing, watch for a wet and unsupportable snow surface which indicates you might be able to trigger a wet snow avalanche. Wet snow hazard will decrease today with temperatures near freezing and below. There may be an isolated instability on the highest, shady slopes where it was cold enough that the upper snowpack stayed mostly dry yesterday. In these areas watch for slabs of drifted snow that formed earlier in the week (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/scotch-bonnet-avalanche"><strong>…;, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/wolverine-avalanche"><strong><u>p…;, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/cornice-triggered-avalanche-beehi…;), and look for weak snow buried 1-3 feet deep.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Avalanches are unlikely today, and the&nbsp;avalanche danger is LOW.</p>

<p>Our last daily forecast will be issued tomorrow. During the rest of April we will issue weather and avalanche updates Monday and Friday. Please continue sending us your observations. You can submit them via our website, email (mtavalanche@gmail.com), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>

<p>Wet avalanches are the primary hazard today. Mountain temperatures are already near or above freezing this morning and they’re just going to climb higher today. Thin crusts that formed overnight will break down quickly as temperatures rise. As the snow surface gets wet, you’ll be able to trigger wet loose avalanches in the snow that fell earlier in the week. Alex and I found these conditions beginning to develop near Cooke City yesterday and with temperatures 10 or more degrees warmer today, wet avalanches will be even more of a concern&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqwSknw4e_E"><strong><u>video</u></stro…;). The snow surface becoming damp and roller balls or pinwheels running downhill below you are clear signs that the wet snow avalanche danger is on the rise. These conditions will develop after just a few hours of sunshine. Wet snow avalanches will generally not break deeper than the snow that fell earlier in the week, which means that the more new snow there is, the larger and more dangerous these loose slides will be. Don’t discount the danger of loose snow avalanches, they can entrain a surprising amount of snow and easily push you into rocks or trees or bury you in a gully.</p>

<p>Avalanches breaking in dry snow do remain possible, particularly on slopes with wind drifted snow from earlier in the week (<a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/scotch-bonnet-avalanche"><strong>…;, <a href="https://www.mtavalanche.com/images/22/wolverine-avalanche"><strong><u>p…;). If you’re seeking out shady, high elevation slopes, watch for cracking wind drifts and dig down to make sure you don’t get surprised by unstable weak layers 1-3 ft deep (<a href="https://youtu.be/8UnSYrlAAl4"><strong><u>video</u></strong></a&gt;). Also, don’t forget about small, low elevation slopes you’ll have to cross in the afternoon on the way back to the trailhead. It’s easy to get caught off guard by these low elevation slopes that don’t pose much of a hazard during typically winter conditions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The avalanche danger is MODERATE today.</p>

<p>Our last daily forecast will be issued on Sunday. During the rest of April we will issue weather and avalanche updates Monday and Friday. Please continue sending us your observations. You can submit them via our website, email (mtavalanche@gmail.com), phone (406-587-6984), or Instagram (#gnfacobs).</p>

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