Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain

TUESDAY NIGHT: Light snow starting overnight with accumulations of 5-10 cm by the morning, moderate wind from the southwest, freezing level around 700 m with alpine temperatures dropping to -5 C.WEDNESDAY: 15-25 cm of snow, strong wind from the southwest, freezing level climbing to 900 m, alpine high temperatures around -2 C.THURSDAY: 20-50 cm of snow with freezing level climbing to 1600 m and strong to extreme wind from the southwest.FRIDAY: Another 20 cm of snow as freezing level drops to 1000 m and moderate wind from the west.

Avalanche activity seems to have tapered off as temperatures have cooled off over the past few days. On Sunday there were reports of a few explosives controlled size 1-1.5 storm and wind slabs. On Saturday reports indicated several explosives controlled size 2 storm and wind slabs in the alpine and treeline. Some of these avalanches were running on a layer of surface hoar buried around December 26.Looking ahead, a widespread storm slab problem will develop with the incoming storm. The additional weight of the new snow could stress deeper weak layers too.

Fresh storm slabs will start to form on Wednesday as a storm tracks across the region from the north. Wind loaded terrain will be the first to develop reactive slabs.30-50 cm of snow from the past week potentially sits on a weak layer of feathery surface hoar at treeline elevations and on a crust below 1800 m.A weak layer of sugary facets and surface hoar lies around 150 to 200 cm deep in the snowpack. There have not been reports of avalanches on this layer for over a week. That being said, this layer may still exist in isolated areas around treeline in some parts of the region.