Touchy storm slabs are likely on Tuesday.
Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding, and conservative decision-making are essential.
Touchy storm slabs are likely at all elevations on tuesday. Back off if you encounter signs of instability like whumpfing, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
On Sunday, numerous natural, size 1, wet loose avalanches were observed below treeline.
With forecasted new snow and wind, storm slabs will likely be reactive on Tuesday.
If you are headed to the backcountry, please consider sharing your photos and observations from your day on the Mountain Information Network.
20 to 40 cm of new snow is expected by Tuesday afternoon, forming touchy storm slabs. This could bring storm snow totals in the alpine near 100 cm since the weekend. High north-facing slopes may see deeper deposits of wind-transported snow.
At treeline and below, the new snow will sit above a crust on all aspects. This crust has approximately 30 cm of dense, saturated storm snow below, with the upper snowpack generally seeing moist throughout.
The mid and lower snowpack contain several crusts that are not concerning.
Check out this great MIN with snowpack observations from the Mount Seymour area.
Monday Night
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm. 25 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 600 m.
Tuesday
Cloudy with 20 cm of snow. 20 to 45 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2°C. Freezing level 800 m.
Wednesday
Cloudy with 20 to 30 cm of snow. 20 gusting to 65 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level around 800 m.
Thursday
Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4°C. Freezing level 700 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
