Spring snowstorms bring increase to Colorado avalanche danger

A triple threat of cooler temperatures, strong winds and areas of heavy snow over the last few days have boosted the avalanche danger heading into the weekend for some of the state's backcountry areas, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

Also, heading into the weekend some of our southern mountains may see up to a foot of snow in the San Juan and Sangre De Cristo Mountains.

"We've moved away from wet avalanche activity and back into a concern for dangerous wind drifted snow," said Brian Lazar, the deputy director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. According to the CAIC, if you are traveling in the backcountry and you find snow cracking under your feet, snowshoes or snowmachine that's a good indication of a wind drifted area. 

By Sunday, warmer and drier conditions will return and avalanche conditions will switch back to widespread wet avalanche activity. According to the CAIC, it's best to start and end your day early when we see more spring-like conditions. Anyone traveling in the backcountry should always carry proper safety gear, including an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel, and know how to use those tools. Daily avalanche forecasts can be found online thanks to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.