Conditions are slowly improving in the mountains, and small isolated wind slabs are developing on the upper alpine slopes. They should be to watch, because even small ones can have serious consequences due to the still minimal snowpack and the many obstacles at the surface or barely covered.
New snow above the December melt-freeze crust (15-25 cm) can easily be transported by sustained northerly winds to form small isolated wind slabs on the upper W-SW-S-SE-E slopes in the alpine.
No avalanche activity was observed or reported.
If you head into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
About 10 to 15 cm of new snow was added over the weekend, for a total of 15 to 25 cm of fresh snow that covers the December melt-freeze crust or directly the ground. In the valley, the thickness of the snowpack barely exceeds 15 to 20 cm, while it varies between 50 and 60 cm at mid-mountain. Consequently, conditions remain minimal with rocks, trees and stumps on the surface or barely covered.
An extended northerly flow is likely to generate persistent snow until Thursday.
Monday night: Snow, 5 to 10 cm, northwesterly winds 20-30 km/h, temperature -5 C, freezing level at valley bottom.
Tuesday: Periods of snow, 2 to 4 cm, northwesterly winds 20-40 km/h, temperature -3 C, freezing level at 150 m.
Wednesday: Snow, 10-15 cm, northerly winds 10-20 km/h, temperature -2 C, freezing level at 250 m.
Thursday: Snow, 10-15 cm, northerly winds 10-20 km/h, temperature around 0 C, freezing level at 500 m.
For more details, check out the Chic-Chocs alpine weather forecast.
