Avalanche Forecast

Good

Today's weather matched the forecast almost exactly. Temps were warm (0 @ 2300m), winds were strong and the snowfall was moderate. The next 48 hours are expected to bring even more snow (up to 58cm's) in three distinct pulses. Tomorrow's pulse will be more sustained in terms of snowfall. As the storm fades overnight friday, the current westerly flow will turn into a northerly. As expected, the snow and wind will stop, and the temperatures will fall to -27.

Skies were partially obscured today so there were no avalanches directly observed. However there was one audible avalanche during our weather observations. Whumphing and cracking was also noted in various locations.

We received an average of 12cm's in the last 24hrs with more on the way. In the alpine, storm snow has had widespread wind effect and redistribution. Alpine storm slabs are widespread, and building fast. At treeline elevations the wind is less powerful, but still a major factor in storm slab development. The relatively warm incoming snow at treeline is prime for windslab development. The Nov 6th crust is now down 40-50cm's and likely to become reactive as the weight of the new snow stresses it. The general feeling with the snowpack is that it's  in a time of change and can't be trusted just yet. Snow depths are: Burstall Pass 83, Highwood 53,  Aster Lake 87