Check out our Forecasters' Blog about factoring extreme cold into your trip plans. Small problems can spiral out of control quickly in these conditions.
Avalanches are possible in isolated terrain features like gullies and alpine bowls where deeper deposits of snow may sit atop a weak, faceted basal snowpack.
No new or recent avalanches have been reported, however there are very few field observations coming from this forecast area.
If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Roughly 5-10 cm of new snow fell in the region in the early week. It added to an existing skiff of snow atop a widespread crust presently found at or near the surface below 1400 m. South facing slopes are generally scoured.
The snowpack is generally shallow and faceted (weak, sugary) with multiple crusts in the mid snowpack. Pockets of deeper, wind-loaded snow may be found near ridges, gully features, and established avalanche paths.
Average snowpack depths at treeline are roughly 20 to 80 cm.
Wednesday night
Clearing, still thin overcast. Northeast wind 20-30 km/h, increasing.
Thursday
Mainly sunny or thin overcast. Northeast wind 30-35 km/h. Treeline temperature -32°C.
Friday
Sunny. Northeast or north alpine wind 5-15 km/h. Treeline temperature -32°C to -36°C.
Saturday
Sunny. Variable alpine wind 5-15 km/h. Treeline temperature -30°C to -34°C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
