Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Northwest Coastal.
A small storm moving South along the coast may bring 10-15 cm of snow to alpine elevations in the coastal mountains.
Confidence
Poor - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
Overcast with 3-5 mm of precipitation forecast overnight combined with moderate West-Southwest winds. Alpine temperatures around -10 may result in 10-15 cm of snow at higher elevations. Continued overcast on Tuesday with strong Northwest winds, very light precipitation, and alpine temperatures around -5. Winds becoming light Westerly on Wednesday under high overcast cloud.
Avalanche Summary
Some small size 1.0 releases were reported from the Shames area that may have been caused by solar warming. Please let us know what you're seeing out there. Email us at [email protected].
Snowpack Summary
Melt-freeze crust and wind crusts have been reported on all but South and Southwest aspects in the Shames area. Some windslab development was also reported from the Northeasterly outflow winds. Be alert to signs of wind loading like patterns on the snow surface, variable new snow depths, and dense or hollow sounding snow. A potential weak layer interface (crust and faceted snow) may be buried 30-50 cm deep. Check the bond of the snowpack at this level and take a cautious approach.
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.