Heightened avalanche conditions exist on steep slopes that have been loaded by the wind.
Continual flurries and moderate to strong southwest wind will likely form wind slabs at upper elevations. Assess for the formation of slabs if you venture to steep, leeward terrain.
A cold front crossing the region on Sunday night will bring 10-20 cm of new snow.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with some isolated flurries, 20-40 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures drop to -8 C.
SUNDAY: Cloudy with flurries picking up in the afternoon with 5-10 cm of snow by the evening, 40-60 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C.
MONDAY: Another 5-10 cm of snow by the morning then sunny in the afternoon, 20-30 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C.
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy, 20-30 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C.
On Friday there were reports of a few small cornice releases around the Duffey area and some glide slab releases in the Cascades. With continued wind and snowfall on Sunday, wind slabs could be reactive to human triggering on steep terrain features.
Another 5-10 cm of new snow by Sunday afternoon will add to the 15-30 cm of recent snow from the past few days. This snow has been accompanied with moderate to strong wind from the south and west, so reactive wind slabs could be found in lee terrain features. This new snow overlies a melt-freeze crust up to around 1700 m and higher on sun-exposed slopes or dry snow on northerly aspects at high elevations.
Remember that cornices along ridgelines are large at this time of year and always have the possibility of failing naturally or from the weight of a human.
