Recent new snow is being redistributed by northerly winds. It's going to be another cold one.
Recent low-density snow has been redistributed into thin wind slabs in exposed alpine terrain features like ridges and steep rollovers.
The lower snowpack is characterized by facets and depth hoar near the base of the snowpack in most alpine areas. The likelihood of triggering a deep persistent slab is low, however the consequence of doing so is high.
Up to 40 cm of recent, low-density snow sits atop a variety of old surfaces, including surface hoar, crusts and/or facets.
The mid and lower snowpack is generally weak with several layers of note. Of greatest concern are weak facets and/or depth hoar located at the bottom of the snowpack, particularly in alpine terrain.
Snowpack depths at treeline range from 60 to 150 cm.
Recent reports in the northern part of the region indicate thin wind slabs running to size 1.5 in alpine terrain.
If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Friday Night
Mostly clear, northwest alpine wind 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -36 °C.
Saturday
Sunny with no precipitation, northwest alpine wind 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -28 °C.
SundaySunny with no precipitation, northwest alpine wind 15 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -24 °C.
MondaySunny with no precipitation, north alpine wind 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -22 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
