Avalanche Forecast

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Another 2-4mm of precipitation is forecast for Wednesday overnight and Thursday morning with the potential for higher amounts in the north of the region. Freezing levels are expected to be near valley bottom and alpine winds are forecast to be moderate to strong from the southwest. Conditions are expected to dry out on Thursday afternoon and sunny breaks are possible. Alpine winds should become light from the south or southeast. A mix of sun and cloud is expected for Friday with freezing levels at valley bottom. Light scattered flurries are possible on Friday night before drying out Saturday morning. A mix of sun and cloud is forecast for Saturday with light alpine winds and freezing levels at valley bottom.

There are no recent avalanche observations from this region. Due to the lack of regular observations, we cannot yet issue avalanche problems or danger ratings for the region. If you are out in the mountains, please send us your observations and help us improve the forecast.

Early season snowpack observations are still limited in the region but there is enough snow for avalanches at treeline and above. The average snowpack depth at treeline is reported to be around 60cm and 120cm or more in the alpine. Surface snow tends to be variable with low density powder in sheltered areas, wind affected snow in exposed areas, and moist or wet snow at lower elevations. Recent strong southwest winds have likely formed wind slabs in leeward features at higher elevations. A series of crusts from early November are buried down 20-30cm and were showing sudden easy shears in snowpack tests last week. When traveling in the mountains with limited information, it is recommended to take an investigative approach and dig down to test for weak layers before committing to a slope.