Avalanche Forecast

Wednesday Night: Clear periods. Ridgetop wind moderate southwest. Alpine temperatures near -4 and freezing level 1600 m. 

Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop wind moderate southwest. Alpine temperatures near -1 and freezing levels 2000 m. 

Friday: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop wind light to moderate southwest. Alpine temperatures near -3 and freezing levels 1800 m. 

Saturday: Cloudy with clear periods. Ridgetop wind moderate from the southwest. Alpine temperatures near 0 and freezing level 2200 m.

Reports on Tuesday show a few thin wind slab releases to size 1 and sluffing to size 1 from steep terrain facing the sun.

Reports on Monday outline several explosives controlled wind slab avalanches size 1.5 to 2 primarily on northerly aspects between 2000 and 2100 m.

The region received around 10-15 cm of new snow over the weekend and into the early part of the week. For the most part, the new snow buries surfaces that became moist with daytime warming on Saturday. There is some uncertainty about the extent to which this moist snow refroze into crust in advance of the storm. The new snow adds to settled dry storm snow on high elevation north aspects.

Below an additional 30-40 cm of snow accumulated through last week and weekend, there is a widespread melt-freeze crust, with the exception of high north-facing terrain where faceted snow or surface hoar may exist at this interface.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.
• Be aware of highly variable recent wind loading patterns.
• As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.