Northwest Inland

New snow will add load to buried weak layers, making avalanches more likely as the snow piles up through the day.

Retreat to mellower terrain if you find signs of instability.

On Tuesday, our field team had concerning snowpack test results on the same surface hoar layer (buried in mid November) related to this Mountain Information Network report.

10 to 15 cm of new snow will fall throughout the day burying previously wind affected snow in the alpine and open areas.

In sheltered areas, expect to find soft snow over a layer of weak, feathery crystals buried 20 to 40 cm.

A crust formed in November and is buried at about 60 to 90 cm with small facets above it.

At treeline, the snow is about 100 cm deep, snowpack depth gradually thins as elevation decreases to 30 cm at valley bottom.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy. 1 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Friday
Cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 300 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.