Warm air arrived in the mountains overnight bringing temperatures up dramatically. The current temperature at Hermit Lake is 45 F (7 C) and at the Summit it is 32 F (0 C). Summit highs are forecasted to be in the 40s F with SW winds 20 to 40 mph. These warm temperatures will help slabs that are scattered around the Ravines settle through the day. This didn't really occur yesterday as temperatures struggled to climb and winds kept solar gain in check. Some skiers endured some icy runs as a result of the cold temperatures and slick surface conditions. The biggest avalanche concerns today are isolated pockets of newer snow on strong sotherly aspects. Due to the rapid warm up and strong solar gain on sotherly aspects you should be aware of the potential for these pockets to result in loose snow avalanches. Yale and Damnation Gullies in Huntington are good examples of where to be on the lookout for this type of activity.

Watch out for icefall today! Sunny skies and temperatures well above freezing will cause ice to come down today. Many folks have been injured and killed by falling ice so have a plan in mind about what you will do and where you will go if ice comes down. Station yourself near a large rock to duck behind in the event of icefall.

It appears that we have a dynamic weather week ahead of us. Tonight we may see some shower activity after midnight and into tomorrow morning. A low pressure system will be arriving in the mountains Tuesday and stick around until Wednesday followed by a brief clearing trend. On Friday we can expect more shower activity as well. Temperatures favor a mix of rain and snow in the valleys for most of these events. Stay tuned to learn how these play out in the mountains and how they effect stability. Keep in mind that we have mid-winter snow depths in some locations and many avalanche paths are well developed. With the right winds, it doesn't take much snow to create unstable conditions. While traveling in avalanche terrain you need to be mindful of changing snow conditions as well as changing terrain conditions. You may travel through snowfields broken by rocks and bushes and quickly enter a larger snow slope. If a snowfield is big enough to recreate on it's big enough to avalanche.

Don't wait any longer to refresh your avalanche skills. Pull out your beacon, practice, and spend a couple bucks on a fresh set of high quality batteries. Review your safe travel rules, techniques for assessing snow stability, and sign up for an avalanche course. We now have all the avalanche courses offered in the Valley this winter on our website, tuckerman.org. Sign yourself or a loved one up now!