Winds blowing from the west increased overnight and will remain elevated throughout the day, creating pockets of wind-drifted snow at the upper elevations, including some exposed mid-elevation slopes. These fresh wind drifts may be sensitive and 6-12 inches deep, possibly deeper in upper elevation terrain in the alpine.

I'm uncertain the extent of today's wet snow activity. Although temperatures will be warm with strong sunshine, westerly winds may keep the snow surface cool today and limit avalanche activity involving wet-loose snow on solar/southerly aspects. Today's warm temperatures will affect low-elevation northerly slopes where wet snow avalanches are possible.

Watch for wet rollerballs and soggy snow as a sign the snow surface is taking on heat and switch to a different aspect.

Avalanche involving wet snow on Sunday in the Salt Lake mountains (photo: B. Wick)

The Dry January Layer (DJL) of faceted snow is 2-4 feet deep and buried by a strong slab and supportable crusts, with the last reported human-triggered avalanche failing on the DJL on February 21 in the Ant Knolls. Triggering an avalanche failing on the DJL is unlikely and this problem is moving toward dormancy.

The suspect terrain where you can still trigger a deep, hard slab avalanche failing on the DJL will be on a northerly aspect at the upper elevations where there is a thinner snowpack, such as a "repeater slope" that avalanched during our mid-February avalanche cycle.