Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Likely
- Tamaño
- 1–2
New snow and extreme ridgetop winds are expected to build new wind slabs. Watch for blowing snow and avoid leeward slopes.
Fresh wind slabs are expected to build on Tuesday.Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
New snow and extreme ridgetop winds are expected to build new wind slabs. Watch for blowing snow and avoid leeward slopes.
A widespread crust with weak crystals overtop is buried 40-80 cm deep. While this layer exists on all aspects, it's most likely to be triggered on wind-loaded slopes.
On Monday, a few small size 1 loose and slab avalanches were reported in the Babines. These were likely triggered by sun exposure and warming, as they all occurred on south-facing slopes. Since the middle of last week, no other avalanches have been reported, though recent observations have been very limited.
2 to 10 cm of new snow is expected to fall Tuesday, accompanied by extreme southwesterly ridgetop wind. This new snow may cover a thin sun crust on south and westerly slopes, and otherwise add to the 10 to 20 cm of recent snowfall elsewhere.
We expect reactive new wind slabs to develop throughout Tuesday on leeward north through east-facing slopes brought on by the new snow and wind.
A noticeable persistent weak layer is buried 40 to 80 cm. This layer is made of weak facets overlying a crust. With additional new snow and wind-loading throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday, we expect this layer may become more reactive.
The remainder of the snowpack is well-settled and bonded.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy. 60 to 75 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with 2 to 10 cm of snow. 75 to 95 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Wednesday
Overnight moderate snowfall: 5 to 20 cm snow by morning. Mix of sun and cloud daytime. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with 2 to 8 cm of snow. 70 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.