Fresh wind slabs will build throughout the day. Be mindful as you travel into lee terrain and near ridge crests, where slabs will be more reactive.
Recent snow and wind have created fresh wind slabs. Slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day as the wind picks up.
Several wind slabs (size 1) were easily triggered by skiers on lee alpine and treeline features near Thar Peak on Sunday.
Loose avalanches also occurred (up to size 1.5) some sun-induced on steep southerly slopes and some fast-running dry sluffs on northerly slopes in the Coquihalla.
Thanks for sharing your observations via the MIN if you are going out into the backcountry.
15 to 25 cm of recent snow exists, with deeper deposits of wind-transported snow in lee terrain. Southerly slopes have been sun-affected and the snow is moist and/or heavy snow. This sits over 75 cm of settling storm snow from the past week overlying a crust on all aspects except on high, north-facing alpine terrain.
A layer of facets and surface hoar that formed in February is now 90 to 150 cm deep, and a layer of facets and surface hoar from late January is 130 to 190 cm deep. No recent notable test results have been seen on these layers.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Wednesday
Partly cloudy with isolated flurries. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1200 m.
Thursday
Cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of new snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2°C. Freezing level 1200 m.
Friday
Cloudy with 15 to 25 cm of new snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3°C. Freezing level 1100 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
