Weather Forecast
Synopsis: A low pressure system exists the region Wednesday morning leaving behind unstable air that may give some lingering flurries into Thursday. On Friday a ridge builds giving clearer, warmer weather.Wednesday: Flurries with clear breaks for many areas. Strong westerly winds diminishing through the day. Freezing level around 900mThursday: Dry but cloudy. Northwest winds to 30km/h at ridgetop. Freezing level around 700m.Friday: Dry with alpine sunshine but a good chance of valley cloud. Light northwesterly winds. Freezing level rising to 2200m, with inversions likely.
Avalanche Summary
There have been no reports of avalanche activity since the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
Relatively small pockets of fresh wind slab have formed in alpine areas in response to recent new snow and wind. Several crusts can be found in the snowpack, especially on solar aspects. A crust buried around Feb 3rd was the focus of avalanche activity during the last storm, but reports indicate this layer has settled out fairly rapidly. Areas with residual concern for this layer are on steep, unsupported (convex) features on south and west facing terrain, and possibly on slopes threatened by a cornice (if it were to collapse and provide a very large trigger). The mid and lower snowpack layers are generally well settled. Total snow depths vary from around 400 cm in the south to around 180 cm in the north.
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.