Cold and dry conditions should persist this weekend under an Arctic ridge of high pressure.
Weather Forecast
A push of Arctic air from the north is bringing dry, cold and windy conditions to the northwest. Valley bottom temperatures will hover around -15 to -20. We should continue to see moderate or strong outflow winds (from the E-NE) in coastal valleys and inlets. On Sunday we could see increasing cloud and light snowfall as a system moves in from the northwest. This could also increase temperatures by a few degrees, but it will remain cool.
Avalanche Summary
There are no new observations from the region. Please let us know what you're seeing out there. Email us at [email protected].
Snowpack Summary
As we begin our forecasting season, we are working with limited information from the field. This forecast is primarily based off weather station data and a few field observations from the past week or two. Approximately 20-30 cm of cold dry snow has fallen in the past couple days, mainly in the southern part of the region. Moderate or strong easterly winds may have blown this snow into stiff wind slabs in exposed lee terrain. Be alert to signs of wind loading like patterns on the snow surface, variable new snow depths, and dense or hollow sounding snow. A potential weak layer interface (crust and faceted snow) may be buried 30-50 cm deep. Check the bond of the snowpack at this level and take a cautious approach.
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.