It is another beautiful morning here on Mt. Washington. Sunny skies and relatively mild temperatures should dominate the morning hours before cloud cover moves in this afternoon. These clouds are associated with a storm system that looks like it will be the main focus of our weekend. It will move into our area tonight and is forecasted to bring light snow with a few centimeters of accumulation by morning. Tomorrow it will intensify and could drop more than 15 cm (6") of new snow by tomorrow night. Snow showers are forecasted to persist through Sunday so we will hopefully see additional accumulation in the mountains. If you are heading into the mountains this weekend, this weather forecast should be making you think of increasing avalanche danger as the storm progresses. While new snow sitting on steep slopes can produce sluffs, we are more concerned about the development of slabs. It looks like slab development will occur through the day tomorrow. Winds on the Summit are expected to be out of the E tomorrow morning, then begin their classic shift to the SE, S, SW, W and finally to the NW. The Summit expects this to occur tomorrow and winds could be out of the NW by late tomorrow afternoon with wind speeds between 80 and 95 kph (50 to 60 mph). Wind speeds and timing of the wind shift will be an important factor in tomorrow's slab development. As winds wrap around and increase, more snow will be loading into the Ravines creating potentially unstable conditions. We will keep close watch on the weather forecasts and update you on these events in tomorrow's advisory. Today we will be looking at the sun crusts that developed over the week. We are interested in knowing what surfaces this weekends precipitation will deposit on and it's bonding potential.

The John Sherburne ski trail has mostly hard pack snow. Anticipate water ice, rocks, and thin cover in many locations. Though the surface looks good be prepared for these hidden hazards and sudden changes in the trail.

THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. This is a steep and challenging route. Ice axe, crampons, and the skill to use them well are necessary for safe travel. Remember, it is always easier to go up than come down.

AS ALWAYS, THIS ADVISORY IS ONE MORE TOOL TO HELP YOU MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN. It should be used along with your own snow stability assessments, knowledge of safe travel techniques, skill in reading mountain weather's effect on the snowpack, and avalanche rescue.