Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Welcome to winter! It's that time of year when winter is slowly winding up and observations are limited. Due to limited data it is CRITICAL to supplement this information with your own observations. Please post your observations to the MIN.
Confidence
Low - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with light precipitation, light southeasterly ridgetop winds, freezing levels around 700 m. SATURDAY: Cloudy with light precipitation, strong southeasterly ridgetop winds, freezing levels around 800 m. SUNDAY: 5-10 mm of precipitation throughout the day, strong southeasterly ridgetop winds, freezing levels rising to around 1200 m.MONDAY: 15-25 mm of precipitation throughout the day, strong southeasterly ridgetop winds, freezing levels rising to around 1500 m.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches were reported in this region. However, we currently have very limited observations in this region. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Snowpack Summary
Many areas in this region only have enough snow to ride (or avalanche) in the alpine elevation band. There is an average of 60-110 cm of snow in the alpine which decreases dramatically with elevation where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks. For those areas that have more snow, remember, "If there is enough snow to ride, there is enough snow to slide." We currently have very limited snowpack observations within this region and it is critical to supplement this information with your own observations.5-15 cm of recent storm snow is sitting on a crust that was formed during last weeks temperature inversion. There is likely an early season crust near the bottom of the snowpack.
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.