Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Northwest Inland.
Confidence
Fair - Due to limited field observations
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Light snowfall with periods of sun mixed in - 5-10cm. The freezing level should rise to around 1000m during the day. Winds are moderate from the south, shifting to light from the north. Thursday and Friday: A ridge of high pressure builds in bringing mainly sunny skies and light winds. The freezing level should bounce from near valley bottom overnight to 700-1000m during the day.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported but there are few observers in the field. It's likely that thin wind slabs are the primary issue up high, with solar related activity on sunny slopes during the day.
Snowpack Summary
Light amounts of new snow overlie a variety of old surfaces. These surfaces include crusts (found on all aspects below 1000m and on solar aspects higher up), and old wind slabs. Below this the snowpack is mostly well settled and strong; however, the mid-February surface hoar (buried 80-120cm deep) may still react to large triggers in isolated terrain. Cornices in the area are reported to be very large and potentially unstable.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Cornices
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 5