Wind Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–2
Northwest winds picked up overnight and are expected to remain elevated throughout the day today with averages of 10 to 20 mph and gusts up to 35 mph. These winds could form wind slabs on leeward aspects where there is still soft snow on the surface to be transported. Expect to find wind slabs around 1' deep at upper elevations near ridgelines and convex features that are accumulating wind-drifted snow. To identify locations with wind slabs, you can look for shooting cracks on the snow surface, hollow feeling pillows of snow, or use test slopes to check how reactive wind drifts are to the weight of a skier or rider.
The Summit Lake area has several weak layers of facets deeper in the snowpack that we are tracking, but have not produced any recent avalanches. In areas receiving very heavy wind loading today, there is a chance that a smaller wind slab avalanche could step down to a deeper weak layer buried 1.5 to 2+' deep. We recommend avoiding overhead avalanche paths in areas where you can see a lot of snow being transported at upper elevations.
Dry loose avalanches in steep terrain are also likely today and could run faster than normal due to the cold temperatures, causing the loose surface snow to turn into facets. These are typically not large enough to bury a person, but they can knock you off your feet in steep terrain.