Continued slow accumulation of new snow Friday night into Saturday just before a more stable and clearing weather pattern sets in for the rest weekend.
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY: 5-10cm overnight Friday into Saturday then a mix of sun and cloud / Light west wind / Alpine temperature -15 SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwest wind / Alpine temperature -10 MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud / Light west wind / Alpine temperature -5
Avalanche Summary
Recent reports show continue to show numerous human triggered and natural loose dry avalanches to size 1 in steep, sheltered terrain. Expect continued potential for triggering loose dry avalanches in steep terrain and consider the potential to trigger persistent slabs as the load continues to increase on top of the mid December persistent weak layer.
Snowpack Summary
20-30cm of low density new snow has buried a recently formed layer of weak feathery surface hoar and/or sugary facets. A layer buried mid-December that consists of surface hoar, sun crust and/or sugary facets is now down approximately 40-60cm.The bond at this old snow interface is of critical importance in areas where the overlying snow has consolidated into a slab. The most concerning areas are those that saw pronounced surface hoar development before the storm, such as sheltered areas at and below treeline, sheltered northerly aspects in the alpine, or anywhere the surface hoar formed on top of a sun crust. Recent snowpack tests show wide ranging reactivity on this weak layer but suggest that it may be most reactive on northerly aspects. A rain crust that formed in late November is now buried 80-110cm deep. Recent reports from the southwest end of this region suggests it may be reactive in steep, variably loaded terrain features in the alpine.
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.