Regions
Northwest Inland.
Wind-affected snow is found almost everywhere in the region.
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with early-morning clearing, light east wind, alpine temperature -19 C.SUNDAY: Clear skies, moderate northeast wind, alpine temperature -15 C.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, trace accumulation, moderate northwest wind, alpine temperature -8 C.TUESDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 1 to 5 cm, moderate to strong west wind, alpine temperature -7 C.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed in the region on Friday.
Snowpack Summary
A dusting of new snow in the south of the region overlies a snow surface that has been heavily affected by strong wind. You will likely find a variety of hard slabs, wind-pressed snow, sastrugi, sugary faceted snow, and melt-freeze crust where the wind has scoured down to it. In sheltered areas below treeline, you may still find pockets of soft, faceted snow.In the south of the region, the remainder of the snowpack is well-settled. In the north of the region, 50 to 100 cm of snow may overly two weak layers of feathery surface hoar crystals or faceted grains.
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.