Northern Mountains

 This is Spencer in the Avalanche Center at 2:15 pm, Sunday, January
 02, 2005.
 DISCUSSION

 Southwesterly flow is pushing moisture into CO. Clouds are building in
 the south and western parts of the state and it is getting ready to
 snow again. In the southern mtns heavy snowfall begins after midnight
 tonight, favoring Wolf Creek Pass and the southern San Juans. There
 will be 6-12" inches of snow on the ground by mid-day Monday in Wolf
 Creek Pass and the San Juans, and 4-10" on Grand Mesa. A brief respite
 Monday evening, with snowfall decreasing. Tuesday morning, a weak
 shortwave passes overhead, bringing snow to the northern mountains as
 well as to the south. Temperatures remain fairly warm until Tuesday,
 then cool 10-15 degrees. The forecast details:
 
 Sun Night: Mostly cloudy, snow showers 0-2", 1-3" Steamboat. Winds
 SW/15-25. Lows 10-20.
 Monday: Mostly cloudy, scattered snow showers favoring Steamboat area.

 Winds SW/15-25. Highs 15-25.
 Mon Night: Mostly cloudy, snow 1-3" favoring Steamboat area. Winds
 backing to S/10-20. Lows 10-20.
 SNOWPACK

 Around the state the snowpack is teetering on a cuspit has adjusted to
 the load that is there, but it may not take much additional force to
 cause an avalanche.

 In the Northern mtns there are some places the slabs have bonded
 fairly well to the older snow. In other places, the slabs remain
 sensitive and will be easily triggered. Expect slabs on the leeward
 NW-N-E facing slopes near and above treeline. Slabs in cross loaded
 areas, where snow drifted into gullies or other terrain features, can
 be found even well below treeline. Winds were strong enough that there
 may be slabs lurking in unusual places. Where the snow is weak
 underneath, these slab can be easily triggered.

 In the Northern Mtns, the avalanche danger is MODERATE with pockets of
 CONSIDERABLE. These pockets can be found primarily on NW-N-E aspects
 and cross loaded gullies or other terrain features, even below
 treeline. In the Steamboat zone the danger is LOW below about 8000',
 where rain stabilized the snowpack during the last storm.

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