Wind continues to be the main driver of the avalanche danger and new wind slabs are likely touchy in exposed terrain.
The recent storm snow and ongoing SW wind has formed reactive wind slabs in exposed terrain. These slabs likely overlie a weak faceted surface from the extended cold period and may remain reactive to human triggering for longer than normal.
A low pressure system continues to impact the coast but only light amounts of precipitation are expected to push inland into the region.
Monday Overnight: Snowfall 5-10 cm, moderate to strong SW wind, treeline temperature around -8 °C.
Tuesday: Snowfall 5-10 cm, moderate to strong SW wind, treeline high around -4 °C.
Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with lingering snowfall in the morning 2-4 cm, moderate SW wind, treeline high around -4 °C.
Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud, light to moderate SW wind, treeline high around -6 °C.
On Sunday, a natural wind driven avalanche cycle was reported. Most of the activity was size 1.5-2 with the largest being a size 2.5 which failed on a NE aspect at 1700 m and was 50 cm thick. Most of the activity was reported on north and east aspects but a report from the far south of the region suggests activity on all aspects and elevations.
30-50 cm of storm snow has typically accumulated over the weekend. Ongoing moderate to strong SW winds will continue to redistribute this new snow into wind slabs in exposed terrain. The recent storm snow overlies a previously wind-affected surfaces comprised of old hard wind slabs, sastrugi, and areas stripped back to the ground or old crusts. Near-surface faceting above the old surface may increase the reactivity of newly formed storm and wind slabs.
The base of the snowpack is composed of crusts and weak faceted grains, particularly in thin snowpack areas. While these layers have generally gone dormant in the region, they still have the possibility of waking up with new snow load or warming, and wind slab avalanches may still have the potential to step down to these deeper layers in isolated areas.
