Regions
Northwest Inland.
Changing conditions: snow and strong winds make a good recipe for avalanches.
Confidence
Fair - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
A series of low pressure systems is forecast to bring snow, strong southerly winds and rising freezing levels. On Tuesday, 5-10 cm snow is expected. Overnight, another 10 cm is forecast, easing to light snow on Wednesday. On Wednesday night and Thursday, another 10-20 cm of snow is forecast. The freezing level is expected to fluctuate, but peak at around 1200 m. Ridgetop winds are strong to gale from the south-west.For more details check out avalanche.ca/weather
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
So far, we only have limited information from the field. Initial reports suggest that there is little snow below treeline. Recent outflow winds created variable wind slabs and crusts at higher elevations. Incoming snow may bond poorly to this concoction of surfaces. In some places, a crust, surface hoar or facets can be found in the upper snowpack. A persistent weak layer exists at the base of the snowpack in the north of the region, however I am not sure how widespread this is. Information is limited - share yours through the Mountain Information Network.
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.