• Natural avalanches very unlikely. Human triggered avalanches unlikely.
• Generally stable snow. Isolated areas of instability.
• Urban: Normal Caution is advised.
• Backcountry: Travel is generally safe. Normal caution is advised.

MODERATE (yellow)

• Natural avalanches unlikely, potentially destructive avalanches unlikely to come near or reach developed areas. Human triggered avalanches possible.
• Unstable slabs possible on steep terrain.
• Urban: Normal Caution is advised.
• Backcountry: Use caution in steeper terrain on certain aspects (defined in accompanying statement).

SERIOUS (orange)

• Natural avalanches possible, potentially destructive avalanches may come near or reach developed areas. Human triggered avalanches probable.
• Unstable slabs probable on steep terrain.
• Urban: Be increasingly cautious in or under steeper terrain and in avalanche zones. Monitor avalanche forecasts.
• Backcountry: Be increasingly cautious in steeper terrain.
  

HIGH (red)

• Potentially destructive natural avalanches likely to come near or reach developed areas, natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
• Unstable slabs likely on a variety of aspects and slope angles.
• Urban: Being in avalanche terrain or avalanche zones is not recommended. Minimize exposure time in avalanche zones. Monitor avalanche forecasts.
• Backcountry: Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended. Safest travel on windward ridges of lower angle slopes without steeper terrain above.

EXTREME (black)

• Potentially destructive natural avalanches likely to reach developed areas, Widespread natural or human triggered avalanches certain.
• Extremely unstable slabs certain on most aspects and slope angles. Large, destructive avalanches possible.
• Urban: Being near or in avalanche terrain or avalanche zones is not recommended. Eliminate exposure to avalanche zones.
• Backcountry: Travel in avalanche terrain should be avoided and travel confined to low angle terrain well away from avalanche path run-outs.
• For greater clarity, we emphasize Extreme as the high end by leaving it off the everyday scale and using this special "bent speedometer needle" graphic for those rare Extreme days.

We follow the US five-point backcountry avalanche danger scale with the addition of urban danger level language that parallels the backcountry language. We use the everyday-speech term Serious in place of Considerable.