Regions
Northwest Inland.
Get out the warm socks. There's a deep freeze coming.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY: Cloudy with light winds. 5-10 cm snow. Alpine temperature near -10.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with light winds. Flurries. Alpine temperature near -20.THURSDAY: Cloudy with light winds. Flurries. Alpine temperature near -brrr.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches have been reported in the last few days.
Snowpack Summary
Accumulating snow overlies various surfaces, including a hard freezing rain crust (which was reported into the alpine and may be widespread), old sun crusts and wind slabs. A variable weak layer that formed in mid-December can be found roughly 20 cm below the surface. This mid-December layer is comprised of crusts on solar aspects and feathery surface hoar in sheltered locations.The lower snowpack is generally well settled with two prominent crusts. The late-November crust can be found 30-50 cm below the surface and the October crust is near the base of the snowpack.
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.