While the snow distribution is highly variable at all elevations, there is still potential to trigger a slab avalanche in isolated terrain features.
Weather Forecast
The weather will continue to bring snow flurries with small, but steady accumulations. Temperatures are expected to become colder by Wednesday. Gusting winds should reduce sometime Wednesday or Thursday. Light snowfalls will continue into the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
The alpine is a mosaic of scoured ground and windslabs on the lee side of terrain features. Gullies on lee aspects will be heavily wind oaded. Strong gusting winds are constantly changing directions. Expect windslab development in unusual locations. The October 27 raincrust is still lurking with facets developing above and below it.
Avalanche Summary
A size 2 slab was remotely triggered from below by a skier in the Bald hills on Sunday. The debris stopped short of his location. This occurred on a Northeast aspect in the lower alpine. While there is variable snow distribution on the landscape, there is still potential for slab avalanches to occur in isolated terrain.
Confidence
Wind effect is extremely variable
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.
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.