Maybe tomorrow will warm up? Never did reach that -12 today. We are forecasted to pull out of this temp slump over the week-end, but the exact timing isn't certain. Be prepared for cold until it arrives. Hopefully that will be soon!
Weather Forecast
Temperatures for the forecast region had predicted a warming trend to happen today. This unfortunately didn't happen...yet . Valley bottom temps are forecasted to remain fairly steady at -15. However ridge top temps are expected to rise over the day tomorrow. An inversion is forecasted for all regions right now. This inversion will peak overnight tomorrow, and temps could reach as high as -8. Ridgetop winds will pick up slightly as well as this inversion occurs. No new snow.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches noted today.
Snowpack Summary
No dramatic change here. In fact there's no change at all. Faceting is ruling the snow pack right now thats for sure! There has very little settlement, so atleast the snow depth is holding steady. Winds have been light, but expect some snow to be blowing around at ridge top as the weather changes. The fetches (windward side of slopes) are still covered in snow, so there is snow available for transport.
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.
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.