More snow and strong winds are on the way. Hazard will increase at higher elevations as wind slab development continues. Conservative route selection is in order.
Weather Forecast
Hang on to your hats! it is expected to be very windy for the next couple of days with gusts reaching 75 to 100km/h from the west on Wednesday. Temperatures will remain cool with highs near -7C and cold wind chills. Flurries are expected Tuesday with local amounts ranging from 5 to 20cm.
Avalanche Summary
Visibility was somewhat limited today, but a few thin slab avalanches up to size 2.0 have occurred in the past 24 hours on steep NE, N and NW aspects in the Alpine.
Snowpack Summary
As much as 20cm of recent snow has fallen together with strong to extreme westerly winds. Field observations were limited today but it is obvious that wind slabs are widespread in the Alpine. The unknown at the moment is the distribution and extent of wind slabs at Treeline. It is expected that lee and cross-loaded features at ridge-crest will have wind slab formations, so be cautious with these terrain features. Cornices seem to have grown in the past 24 hours. On solar aspects several buried crusts persist and seem to be reactive for slab avalanches in steep and unsupported terrain. Despite cooler temperatures, when the sun does come out it has lots of punch so be thinking about the effects of solar radiation later in the day.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.