Yukon

Watch for slabs formed by northerly winds.

Cold exposure is also a major concern for backcountry travellers (read more in this blog).

The arrival of the arctic front on Wednesday resulted in a cycle of natural wind slab avalanches. The freshly formed wind slabs were also reactive to skiers, with whumpfs and shooting cracks reported by the Yukon Field Team.

Most surfaces are likely wind-affected after the passage of the arctic front, but you may still find pockets of soft snow in sheltered areas.

A layer of surface hoar that formed on Christmas Eve may be found 50 cm deep, but recent observations suggest it has bonded.

Snowpack depths range from 80 to 200 cm, with local variations due to wind redistribution.

Wednesday Night

Clear skies with no precipitation, alpine wind north 40 km/h, treeline temperature drops to -30 ºC.

Thursday

Clear skies with no precipitation, alpine wind northeast 40 km/h, treeline temperature -30 ºC.

Friday

Clear skies with no precipitation, alpine wind west 20 km/h, treeline temperature -30 ºC.

Saturday

Increasing cloud with up to 2 cm of snow, alpine wind west 40 km/h, treeline temperature -24ºC.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.