Yesterday's temperature regime sure was interesting to watch as mid elevations became very warm and stayed there for the day. Mixing between the valleys and the higher elevations was limited allowing Hermit Lake to reach almost 48 F (9C). As clouds moved in temperatures dropped to 37 F (3C) before rain began in the early evening. The Summit was spared actual rain, but temperatures did crawl up to 33F (1 C) in the late morning. Therefore all start zones saw above freezing temperatures and probably received some rain. Looking at the auto road temperature profile archives, it looks like the rain line was the 5000ft level before the change over to frozen precipitation. The Summit recorded 1" (2.54 cm) of new snow and a total water equivalent of .2" (.5 cm). Although the exact level of the rain/snow line is currently unclear we do know that total QPF's (water equivalent) were limited so percolation did not affect all buried cold slabs that a standard spring thaw might. This leaves us with some cold slabs still buried under near surface snow that stabilized with the warm up and the refreeze. As a result, all forecast areas are posted at Low today. Look for the development of isolated pockets as new snow is currently blowing into Tuckerman Ravine and covering up recent tracks. These will be most notable under the Headwall and in the Lip.

We are currently seeing another frontal passage which is quickly dropping the temperatures this morning. The Summit is down to 15F(-9 C) and is expected to stabilize soon. Temperatures in avalanche terrain will continue to fall and refreeze all free water that is still in the upper reaches of the snowpack.

The Lion Head Winter Route is open. This is a steep and challenging route. Crampons, an ice axe, and the ability to properly use this equipment are necessary for safe travel on this route. The John Sherburne Ski Trail is open with top to bottom coverage, but expect it to be challenging due to the freeze up.