The storm is expected to taper off Monday night, resulting in variable snowpack conditions.
Expect significant changes as you travel through different elevations
Ongoing stormy weather has built widespread reactive slabs. Storm slabs may step down to deeper buried weak layers, creating larger avalanches.
As the surface snow becomes saturated with rain, wet loose avalanches may occur, and in turn could trigger larger storm slabs.
Several explosive and human-triggered avalanches were reported in the Whistler/Blackcomb area over the last few days. These storm slabs ranged from size 1 to 2.5, with some stepping down to deeper buried layers like the Mid-November crust up to 1 m deep.
If you're heading out into the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the MIN.
Up to 50 mm of precipitation fell as rain at lower elevations. Uncertainty is related to the amount of new snow at upper elevations, with elevated freezing levels expected Monday night.
This new snow will add to previous storm slabs that have formed over the last few days, which currently overlie older layers such as surface hoar, facets, and crusts.
A hard mid-November crust currently sits 50 to 100 cm deep with facets above and below. Some recent storm slabs have stepped down to this layer.
The snow surface at treeline is likely wet and diminishes rapidly with elevation below 1100 m.
Monday Night
Cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow at treeline. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level at 2200 m lowering to 1500 m.
Tuesday
Partially cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.
Wednesday
Cloudy. 15 to 25 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0°C. Freezing level rising to 1800 m.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
