The dry period from February 21st until this most recent storm on March 3rd through March 4th created a layer of weak snow on the surface that was subsequently buried. Although the recent storm snow is soft it propagated on that weak layer about 25 cms from the surface. With more snow and wind in the forecast rising avalanche danger is expected tomorrow and Friday. At the Cliffs I expect avalanche activity to initiate in that upper weak layer and step into the older, shallower snow where previous mitigation has resulted in shallower snow depths. Overall the Grand Mesa is starting to fill in with about 5' at the Skyway roadside snow plot.

Sheltered north-facing terrain near the Skyway Weather Station on the northside of Grand Mesa

Grand Mesa Cliffs Avalanche Area

The wind shifted from northwest to southwest around 0900 and cloud cover began to increase from the southwest as well. Filtered sunshine this time of year is now more and more intense.