Hazard will improve as precipitation stops and freezing levels lower throughout the day.
The storm brought a mix of rain and snow to higher elevations. As you transition into dry snow and wind-blown areas watch for cohesive storm slabs that are reactive to human triggering.
This week's storm brought a mix of rain and snow to higher elevations. Where snow remained dry it formed reactive storm slabs primed for human triggering.
Closely monitor the bonding of the new snow with the underlying surface. Be aware that slab avalanches could step down to a crust layer and produce larger-than-expected avalanches.
Rain has saturated the snowpack below 1700 m causing the surface to lose cohesion. Below the freezing line, loose wet avalanches remain possible on steep slopes. Watch for unstable snow on specific terrain features, especially when the snow is moist or wet.
On Thursday, numerous size one wet loose avalanches were reported on all aspects below 1700 m.
Backcountry users should expect to see evidence of a natural avalanche cycle from within the storm at all elevations.
Please post your observations and photos to the Mountain Information Network. It helps strengthen our data gathering.
+15 cm storm snow and moderate southerly winds have built storm slabs where snow remained dry. New snow overlies previously wind-affected surfaces on south and east-facing slopes. Below treeline, the snowpack is thoroughly saturated.
The mid-snowpack is well-settled. The lower snowpack consists of several crusts with weak faceted crystals above and below that are beginning to heal and bond to each other.
Snowpack depths are roughly 145 to 185 cm at treeline and taper rapidly below 1500 m.
Friday Night
Periods of rain and snow continue, 5-10 mm. Winds will ease to southerly 40 km/h. Ridgetop low-temperature +1 C. Freezing levels will slowly fall to near 1500 m by Saturday morning.
Saturday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated wet flurries, trace accumulation. Southeast winds of 40 to 60 km/h. Ridgetop high-temperature +2 C. Freezing levels will be near 1500 m.
Sunday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Light variable winds gusting 20 km/h. Ridgetop high-temperature +3 C. Freezing levels 1700 m.
Monday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Light variable winds gusting 20 km/h. Ridgetop high-temperature 0 C. Freezing levels 1000 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
