Conditions are improving, but watch for lingering wind slabs in wind affected terrain.
Confidence
High - Due to the number and quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
MONDAY: Isolated flurries with up to 5 cm by the morning, light north winds, alpine temperatures around -7.TUESDAY: Cloudy, light north winds, alpine temperatures around -10.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy, light north winds, alpine temperatures around -10.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on the weekend. Human triggering wind slabs will remain possible at higher elevations.
Snowpack Summary
A dusting of light snow covers settled storm snow from last week. Last week's storm delivered 20-40 cm of heavy snow with freezing levels up to 1600 m. Crusts can be found near the surface on solar aspects at high elevations and on all aspects below 1600 m. The lower snowpack appears to be well settled. There have been isolated reports of surface hoar layers that formed in early January that may still exist about 40 cm deep in sheltered areas.
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.