Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Northwest Inland.
Recent fresh snow has likely been redistributed by strong winds, especially at upper elevations. Wind slabs may be reactive to human triggering, especially in lee terrain.
Confidence
Low - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with isolated flurries, up to 5 cm accumulation. Light west west wind. Freezing level 400 m.TUESDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Moderate south east wind. Freezing level 500 m.WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with scattered flurries, up to 5 cm accumulation. Moderate south wind. Freezing level 600 m.THURSDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation. Light to moderate west-south west wind. Freezing level 500 m.
Avalanche Summary
There have been no recent reports of avalanches, however information from this region is limited.Tell us what you see by posting to the Mountain Information Network! (MIN)
Snowpack Summary
60-90 cm of snow has fallen over the past week. Moderate to strong winds have redistributed recent snow and likely formed wind slabs throughout the region. Deeper and more sensitive wind deposits are likely to be found at higher elevations. The storm snow sits on a weak layer of surface hoar (feathery crystals) and facets (sugary snow) that formed during the dry spell in early December. Information is limited in this region about how well the new snow is bonding to this layer. Deeper in the snowpack, there are several crusts including an early season crust with facets near the bottom of the snowpack.
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.