Watch for wind chill and wind slabs in Waterton
Weather Forecast
Remaining cold for the week. West winds forecasted to increase to moderate Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday. Possible snow forecasted on Thursday evening.
Snowpack Summary
Where the snow was not effected by the wind it is settling and with cold temperatures and a shallow snowpack, likely faceting. Below tree-line but above 1600m has a crust/facet combo at the bottom on the snowpack. After strong west winds this weekend you can expect to find wind slabs in deposition zones and gullies at all elevations.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche observation in Waterton.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.