Regions
Northwest Inland.
Pockets of thin wind slab may be found in the alpine and at tree-line.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the quality of field observations
Weather Forecast
We're into a period of fairly benign weather. Isolated flurries are expected through the forecast period although we won’t see any significant accumulations of new snow. Winds look to be variable, coming from the west on Tuesday before becoming south easterly on Wednesday and Thursday. Freezing levels are expected to remain at, or close to valley bottom for inland regions through the forecast period.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported over the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
We're still dealing with a thin, early-season snow pack for much of the Northwest Inland region. Between 80 and 100 cm of snow can be found at tree-line in the south and west of the region, with closer to 60 cm in the east. Stiff wind slabs have been reported above tree-line in lee features resulting from variable recent winds. These winds have been mainly out of the northeast in areas under the influence of cold arctic air, and out of the south or southeast when the snowstorms have moved inland from the coast. A layer of surface hoar may exist just below the surface in isolated sheltered areas and may be hard to find. A weak basal layer may exist in areas with a shallow snowpack.
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.