Regions
South Coast Inland.
Storm snow will take time to settle. Stick to simple terrain on Wednesday and avoid all overhead hazard.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
After Tuesday's storm it will clear up and we'll have dry weather with cool temperatures for the foreseeable future.WEDNESDAY: Clearing in the afternoon. Ridge wind moderate northerly. Freezing level at the surface, alpine high temperatures of -8THURSDAY: Clouds and isolated flurries. Ridge wind moderate from the north west. Temperature near -3. Freezing level at the surface. FRIDAY: Sunny with cloudy periods. Ridge wind moderate from the north east. Temperature near -7. Freezing level at the surface.
Avalanche Summary
No new reported; however, a widespread natural avalanche cycle is expected in the south of the region with Tuesday's storm.
Snowpack Summary
The south of the region has seen impressive storm snow totals (50-70cm) since Sunday night, compared to the north of the region, which received 15-25cm. This new snow sits on crusts of variable thickness that formed on almost all aspects in early December. On steep southerly aspects the crust is supportive, whereas on northerly aspects the crust is quite thin and variable. Moderate to strong (north) westerly winds have redistributed the new snow, creating deep drifts on down wind (lee) features. Lower down, the snowpack is well settled and has not been showing any signs of activity on the late November rain crust.Treeline snow depths are approximately 1.4 m throughout the region.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.