Colorado Avalanche Information Center Bulletin

This is Scott at the CAIC with current information on mountain
weather, snow, and avalanche conditions recorded at 7 am, Sunday,
December 2, 2001.

DISCUSSION

A few showers & clouds over the main ranges of N mtns and along Grand
Mesa early this morning but amounting to little in the way of
accumulations in the N mtns.  Warm air aloft is keeping us under a
fairly stable atmosphere so not much in the way of snow even though we
have good orographic potential and plenty of moisture available.  Jet
stream is over WY today  and will drop South next 24 hours and this
will help fuel continued strong winds at mountain tops next couple of
days.  The Forecast details:

Northern Mountains

Sunday & night: Mostly cloudy, showers, T-1" some clearing tonight.
Winds SW/15-25 G40. Highs 16-26. Lows 12-22.

Monday: Turning mostly cloudy by aftn. Isolated showers. Winds
SW/20-30 G40s. Highs 18-28, Lows 15-21.

Central Mountains

Sunday & night: Cloudy, showers, 1-2" possible. Winds SW/15-25 G40.
Highs 18-28. Lows 12-22.

Monday & night: Mostly cloudy. Snow showers, T-2". Winds SW/10-20
G30s. Highs 20-28. Lows 14-22

Southern Mountains

Sunday & night: Cloudy, showers, T-2" possible. Winds SW/15-25, Gs
40s. Highs 20-28. Lows 10-20.

Monday: Cloudy. Snow showers, 1-2" possible. Winds SW/10-20 G30s.
Highs 20-28.

SNOWPACK

Warmer temperatures will help stabilization of the recent new snow.
But moderately strong winds will continue to create additional shallow
slab development.  Reports continue to filter in with triggered slab
activity and collapse & cracking of the snowpack.  Two new reported
slides on N & NNE aspects just below 11,000 ft  near Cameron Pass.  We
still have a layer of weakly bonded grains near the ground which will
not gain strength for some time, though upper layers of the pack do
gain strength.  This will force me to keep pockets of CON as human
triggered slides remain probable. Especially on wind loaded lee
slopes.

The backcountry avalanche danger for all mountains ... Pockets of
CONSIDERABLE near and above TL on NW-NE-SE aspects, and ... MODERATE
on S-W aspects nr & abv TL and on all aspects below TL.

Toepfer