The strong SW winds are likely to continue until Tuesday night. Be alert for wind slabs in the alpine and at treeline.
Weather Forecast
The one thing the weather models agree on is that we can expect strong SW winds on Tuesday with alpine temps around -8c. Some models indicate that we might get 5cm of snow by Tuesday night.
Avalanche Summary
There were several size 1.5 loose dry avalanches on the east face of Mt. Murray. They look like they happened in the last 48hrs.
Snowpack Summary
Strong SW winds on Monday have created many wind slabs in the alpine. These wind slabs, especially near alpine ridges in lee and cross loaded terrain are a concern because if they are initiated, they will likely step down into the weak base layers and involve the full depth of the snowpack. In steep and unsupported terrain there is still avalanche hazard, despite the very slow start (shallow snowpack) we are experiencing. More strong winds are forecast for Tuesday which will continue to make widespread windslabs in the alpine and treeline.
Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.