Cold overnight temperatures will help am stability yet daytime heating and sun will increase the danger in the afternoons. The odd large cornice drop has been noted this past week.
Weather Forecast
Tuesday will be sun, freezing level to 1100m and likely higher with the sun's energy, and light SW treeline winds. Wednesday will have a warm front bringing small pulse of snow and potentially rain low elevations, freezing level 1700m and increasing SW winds. Thursday freezing level will drop, flurries, and light to moderate West winds.
Snowpack Summary
Surface soft slabs are forming mainly at exposed treeline locations and above yet are spotty. Saturday's strong North winds reverse loaded many slopes and now moderate Westerlies continue to move the snow. 90cm of snow fell since Wednesday. At treeline, soft slabs rest on a suncrust 80 cm deep in south facing terrain. Midpack is otherwise strong.
Avalanche Summary
Field patrol Parkers ridge N and S sides had no cracking or whumphing however the surface slab is evolving and spotty. No new naturals noted. Sunday's patrol a few size 2.5 storm slab avalanches ran on large planar alpine slopes. They initiated in lower start zones at 2500m. Numerous loose solar sluffs to size 2 noted mainly SW-NW aspects.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Tuesday
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.