Watch for lingering wind slabs in high north facing terrain and loose sluffing on steep sun exposed slopes.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Lingering flurries are possible Wednesday morning and sunny conditions are expected Wednesday afternoon. Alpine wind is expected to be light from the west and treeline temperatures are forecast to be around -5C. Similar conditions are expected for Thursday and Friday with mostly sunny skies, light alpine wind, and treeline temperatures remaining around -5C.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported recently. On Wednesday, lingering wind slabs are the main concern. Look for these in immediately leeward features on northerly aspects in exposed high elevation terrain. Sluffing from steep sun exposed slopes is also possible during the heat of the afternoon.
Snowpack Summary
At higher elevations, the widespread mid-February rain crust is now down around 30-50 cm. Recent reports suggest the recent snow is well bonded to the crust. Below the crust, the snowpack is likely still moist or wet as a result of the heavy rain from last week. Moderate southerly wind during the storm may have formed wind slabs at ridge crests.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.