Avalanche Forecast

On Sunday, a few natural wind slab avalanches were observed, size 1 to 2, on north and west aspects.

If you head into the backcountry please consider submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Storm snow overlies 30-40 cm of recent snow that was redistributed by strong southerly winds. At low elevations, storm snow overlies a surface crust from warm temperatures and rain.

A spotty layer of surface hoar can be found down 25-45 cm deep in sheltered terrain features at and below treeline. The distribution of this layer is not well known.

A layer of facets buried at the end of November can be found 100 to 200 cm below the surface. The snowpack depth varies between 150 and 250 cm at treeline.

Sunday Night

Cloudy with isolated flurries, 2 to 6 cm of snow. Southerly winds, 40-60 km/h. Freezing levels remain at valley bottom, treeline temperatures near -7 °C.

Monday

Cloudy with flurries, 20 to 30 cm of snow, and southerly winds, 60-80 km/h.Freezing levels remain at valley bottom, treeline temperatures reach -5 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with isolated flurries, 5 cm of snow. Southwest winds, 40-70 km/h. Freezing levels rise to 1200 m, treeline temperatures around -3 °C.

Wednesday

Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries, 5 to 10 cm of snow. Southeast winds, 40-60 km/h. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom, treeline temperatures around -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Minimize exposure during periods of heavy loading from new snow and wind.
• Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 30 cm of new snow.
• Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.