Regions
Northwest Inland.
Low Danger doesn't mean No Danger. Make observations continually as you travel.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
On Friday the region will see mainly sunny skies and light ridgetop winds. Saturday will bring mainly overcast skies, trace amounts of new snow and strong southwest winds as a Pacific front brushes up along the North Coast. On Sunday, expect a mix of sun and cloud and reduced winds. Freezing levels are expected to remain at valley bottom for all 3 days.
Avalanche Summary
No new slab avalanches have been reported. Loose snow sluffing up to size 1.5 has been reported from steep terrain in the northwest of the region.
Snowpack Summary
Wind slabs are likely to exist at higher elevations, although due to limited observations not much is known about their reactivity. I'd remain cautious on steep, unsupported slopes in the immediate lee of ridge crests. Thanks to recent solar radiation and warmer alpine temperatures, you'll likely find a melt-freeze crust at or near the surface on steep, sun-exposed slopes at higher elevations. We're still dealing with a thin, early-season snowpack for much of the Northwest Inland region. Shedin creek snow pillow is at historical minimum snow depth, and Tsai creek snow pillow is setting a new historical minimum snow depth. Between 80 and 100 cm of snow can be found at tree-line in the south and west of the region, with closer to 60 cm in the east. A weak basal layer probably exists in most areas, and I suspect that the ongoing cold temperatures have continued to promote faceting in the snowpack, especially in shallow, rocky areas.
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.