Steady flurries and wind will make wind slab avalanches possible on steep open slopes this week.
Fresh wind slabs will likely form on north and east facing slopes on Tuesday. Winds may shift on Wednesday and form isolated slabs on other aspects too.
Over the weekend there were a few reports of natural wind slab avalanches (see a photo in this MIN report) and some size 1 wet loose avalanches on steep sun-exposed slopes. Looking forward fresh wind slabs will be the main concern.
MONDAY NIGHT: Flurries with about 5 cm of new snow at White Pass, 30-40 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperatures drop to -8 C.
TUESDAY: Cloudy with scattered flurries and another 5 cm of snow, light north wind with some moderate gusts, treeline temperatures around -5 C.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy with some isolated flurries, light north wind, treeline temperatures around -8 C.
THURSDAY: Cloudy with flurries intensifying throughout the day with 10-15 cm of snow by the evening, 50-70 km/h south wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C.
Light accumulations of snow over the past few days with strong southwest wind has likely left pockets of wind slabs in lee terrain features. The White Pass area has a deep snowpack without any layers of concern. The Tutshi Lake / Paddy Peak area should be assessed on a slope by slope basis, as some lingering snowpack weaknesses may still exist on isolated slopes. The Wheaton's shallower snowpack is dominated by hard wind slabs overlying sugary facets and depth hoar. It's an untrustworthy snowpack structure that requires conservative terrain selection and diligent travel habits.
