Wind Slabs
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Likely
- Tamaño
- 1–2
Snow began to fall early this morning in the mountains. Up to 6 inches of snow is forecast to fall in the Snake River Range throughout the day at upper elevations with strong westerly winds and gusts up to 40 mph. If we receive forecasted amounts of snow, wind slabs will grow and could reach depths over a foot by tonight above 9000 feet. These soft slabs will be sitting on a variety of surfaces, including crusts on southerly slopes, faceted weak now on shady protected slopes, and windboard up high. Buried faceted snow will increase triggering sensitivity in new snow and could contribute to greater entrained snow. Watch for slab formation below ridgelines, around cliffs, and in steep gullies. If you find obvious clues like recent avalanches, actively blowing snow, and thick pillows, move to lower angle slopes.
In areas unaffected by the wind, keep track of storm totals. Storm slab avalanches could be possible late in the day on steep slopes above 7500 feet with enough accumulation. These slabs could break farther and wider than expected where they are sitting on buried facets. If you see shooting cracks, choose lower angle slopes.