Friday into Saturday is a major weather transition period. Expect high precipitation amounts, warming temperatures and a rapidly rising avalanche danger.
A new and growing wind slab will become touchy to triggering as new snow fall driven by increasing southwesterly winds begins to land on a variety of old hard surfaces.
No new avalanches have been observed or reported. Keep sharing your experiences and observations by submitting a MIN report!
Fridays expected snow fall and strong south west wind will deposit new snow onto a variety of old hard surfaces. These surfaces will range from an unsupportive sun crust on southern aspects, to heavily wind affected hard surfaces on open exposed terrain and in isolated terrain protected from the wind newly formed surface hoar. The snowpack continues to present as thin and averages 130 cm deep at tree line.
Down approximately 70 cm, a buried layer can be found that contains decomposing surface hoar crystals. There is also a layer of weak, sugary crystals near the base of the snowpack. During testing, these layers are producing hard results and no reports of avalanches occurring on these layers have been observed or reported.
An arctic air mass that has dominated the region will begin to subside as a series of strong pacific storm fronts will begin to enter the area Thursday night. Initially the freezing levels and temps will remain low, however late Friday it is expected that a generally warm air mass will bring heavy snow fall followed by warming temperatures and rising freezing levels.
Thursday night
Snow 15-20 cm. Southwesterly wind at 40 to 60 km/h at ridge tops. High of -12 ˚C. Freezing level rising to 0 m.
Friday
Snow 10-20 cm. Southwesterly wind at 40 km/h at ridge tops. High of -3 ˚C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
Saturday
Snow and Rain for a potential of up to 60 mm. Southeasterly wind at 100 km/h at ridge tops. High of 4 ˚C. Freezing level rising briefly to 2800 m.
Sunday
Snow and Rain for a potential of up to 30 to 50 mm. Southeasterly wind peaking at 120 km/h at ridge tops. High of 3 ˚C. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
