Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Confidence
Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Sunday: Light snowfall / moderate southwest winds increasing to strong in the evening / freezing level @ 500m Monday: moderate snowfall developing in the afternoon continuing overnight / strong southwest winds / freezing level @ 700m Tuesday: moderate snowfall / strong southwest winds / freezing level @ 700m
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity to report.
Snowpack Summary
The last week has seen light amounts of snowfall with light winds in most areas. The recently fallen snow sits over a strong melt freeze crust that exists below 1000m on all aspects and over wind-pressed powder on shaded alpine features. Sandwiched between the newer snow and the aforementioned older surfaces may be a buried surface hoar layer at treeline and below. This surface hoar layer seems most prevalent in protected inland areas. We expect to see gradually increasing reactivity in the surface hoar interface with incremental loading forecast for this week. Check out our Forecaster's Blog for some thoughts on incremental loading. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled and strong.
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.