Avalanche Forecast
Regions: North Island.
Northeast winds will redistribute recent storm snow.
Seek sheltered terrain for the best riding but be cautious as new snow may be precariously resting on a crust.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days, but observations are very limited in this area. We suspect natural and human-triggered wind slabs will be likely in the alpine and treeline.
Snowpack Summary
At higher elevations, 20 to 40 cm of recent snowfall has been redistributed by variable winds, scouring windward slopes and depositing wind slabs in lee areas. A crust can be found down 20 to 70 cm that extends to mountain tops on all aspects. Recent reports suggest this crust is bonding poorly to the snow above.
The remainder of the snowpack is consolidated and well-bonded.
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Cloudy, up to 5 cm accumulation ending early in the evening, winds northeast 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -6 °C and falling.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny with clouds, 3 cm accumulation, winds north 20 to 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -12 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with the sun breaking through later in the day, 2 to 5 cm accumulation ending in the morning, winds 35 to 40 km/h, treeline temperatures -13 °C.
Friday
A mix of sun and cloud, trace accumulation, winds north 25 km/h, treeline temperatures -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Variable moderate to strong winds will have redistributed the recent 20 to 30 cm of new snow and may have created reactive wind slabs. These slabs have formed over a smooth crust and as a result, they may not bond well.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2