This is Ian Hoyer with the avalanche forecast on Saturday, April 5th, at 7:00 a.m. sponsored by Klim and Highline Partners. This forecast does not apply to operating ski areas.
Snow showers yesterday left at most an inch of new snow. Winds are light this morning, out of the north and west. Mountain temperatures this morning are in the single digits and teens F under clear skies.
Today will be sunny and 5 to 10 degrees F warmer than yesterday. High temperatures will be in the 30s and low 40s F. Winds will shift more southwesterly today and remain light.
The next couple days will remain sunny and warm, before clouds and a chance for precipitation return early next week.
All Regions
Wet snow is back to the top of our list of concerns. Most sunny slopes will have a thin crust at the surface this morning that will break down as the day heats up. As the crust melts and the softer snow underneath gets wet, expect to see and trigger Wet Loose avalanches. These slides could break at your feet, or come down from rocky areas above you. Do not discount the danger of these slides. With plenty of soft snow from the last week, these wet loose avalanches could get pretty big. With firm crusts underneath the recent snow, they will also run long distances. Look for a wet snow surface and roller balls rolling down the hill as your indications that it’s time to get off steep, sunny slopes. The peak instability will be late this afternoon, after slopes have baked for hours in intense April sunshine.
You might also still be able to find an isolated wind slab that could still avalanche. Most of these will be well bonded at this point, but do be on the lookout for unstable drifts on high elevation shady slopes, particularly those above cliffs or rocks where even a small slide would have big consequences.
The avalanche danger will start off LOW this morning and quickly rise to MODERATE as the day heats up and it becomes possible to trigger large avalanches.
Hyalite Road Closure
The Hyalite Canyon Road is closed to ALL MOTORIZED VEHICLES until the morning of May 16. This is a regular annual road closure to reduce road damage during the spring thaw. Bicycle and foot traffic are allowed. Contact the Bozeman FS Ranger District for more info.