With the addition of last night's new snow, careful evaluation of the December 15 surface hoar layer should be a part of your decision making process.
Weather Forecast
Cloudy with sunny periods as last night's storm exits the province. A slight alpine temperature inversion is in place, although temps will remain cold with an alpine high of -13. Ridge winds will be light from the east. The next round of precipitation arrives this evening with 8cm forecast for tonight with cold temps and periods of strong winds.
Snowpack Summary
20cm of new snow fell overnight with relatively light winds and cold temperatures. An isolated surface hoar/ facet layer (December 27) is buried 20cm. The Dec 15 surface hoar layer, which is widespread at treeline, is buried 60cm. Cold temperatures have hindered slab development in the upper snowpack.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed yesterday.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.
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.