6:50 AM Update: Dial back your objectives if you are finding signs of instability in the storm snow. Storm slabs may have the potential to propagate far.
Expect reactive deposits of new snow, especially in lee areas where the wind has transported snow into deeper deposits.
These avalanches could fail or step down to buried crusts in the snowpack, creating very large avalanches.
Observations have been limited in this region. Riders on Thursday reported avoiding ridgetop drop-ins because of the presence of slabby snow conditions.
Looking ahead, expect that storm slabs will continue to be reactive.
Please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
A stormy Saturday where 10 to 20 cm of snow is expected by the end of the day. This snow will be transported by moderate to strong southwesterly winds, building reactive cornices and slabs on lee slopes.
The accumulated storm snow may be poorly bonded to an underlying crust, which could result in very large avalanches. This crust is 60 to 100 cm deep. A layer of surface hoar may exist just above this crust in sheltered terrain at treeline.
Snow depths at treeline vary between 90 to 160 cm.
Check out this MIN report of conditions.
Friday NightCloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level dropping to valley bottom.
Saturday
Cloudy with up to 15 cm of new snow. 20 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Sunday
Partly cloudy with trace precipitation. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
MondayMostly cloudy. 15 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
