Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Freezing levels are uncertain

Tonight and Wednesday:  The cold front move SE of the region tonight. Precipitation will ease, extreme winds should remain strong from the NW, freezing levels lower to around 600 m by tomorrow morning. Thursday: A ridge of high pressure is well in place. Continuing rising freezing levels climbing to 1700 m on Friday. Strong SW winds are forecasted. Friday overlook: Ridge is still dominating the pattern with clear skies and warm temperatures.

An avalanche cycle is most likely occurring with the present stormy conditions. Yesterday, a natural avalanche size 3.5 was reported SE outside of the region. Explosives also produced up to size 2.5 avalanches in the storm snow yesterday in the NW Coastal region.

60-100 cm of storm snow will have fallen above 1500 m. elevation with extreme W winds. Wet and saturated snowpack under this elevation should start receiving solid precipitation tonight as freezing levels drop. Thick touchy windslabs will keep developping lee of strong NW winds in the alpine and at treeline tomorrow keeping avalanche conditions very dangerous. At lower elevations, a layer of dry snow will cover a very wet snowpack which will could still be susceptible for wet slab avalanches or loose wet avalanches. This instability should not remain for very long since the lowering freezing levels will help stiffening up this wet layer.  Under the storm snow, the early January surface hoar layer or facet/crust combo is found in sheltered areas and is still a concern to avalanche professionals. Below this the mid and lower snowpack is gaining strength. The exception is where a layer of weak snow is lingering just above the ground in the shallower snowpack found in the North of the region.