Northwest Coastal

Fair - Due to limited field observations on Sunday

Monday: A mix of sun and cloud / Moderate west winds / Freezing level at 600mTuesday: Increased cloud with moderate snowfall developing late in the day-continuing overnight / Strong southwest winds / Freezing level at 600mWednesday: Light snowfall / Strong southwest winds / Freezing level at 400m

There were a few glide crack releases to size 2.5 below treeline in the north of the region. I would expect a round of wind slab activity in response to new snow and wind on Saturday night.

Light to locally moderate amounts of new snow now overlie a variety of old surfaces which include: a crust at lower elevations and on solar aspects; old wind slabs in exposed areas, and fairly widespread large surface hoar. Moderate to locally extreme west/southwest winds will have, no doubt, shifted the new snow into soft and hard wind slabs in exposed terrain. I would expect the new snow to be quite reactive, especially where it overlies the surface hoar which was buried on March 9th. This interface is likely to be one to watch as the overlying slab develops.The mid snowpack layers are generally well settled and strong. Facets at the base of the snowpack may resurface as a concern now that spring warming is on the doorstep and full-depth releases are becoming more likely (primarily in the northern part of the region).