Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Watch for fresh wind slabs on Monday and prepare for the next big storm!
Confidence
Moderate - Timing of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY NIGHT: Lingering flurries with 5 cm of snow overnight, strong wind out of the southwest, freezing level drops to 500 m.MONDAY: Ongoing flurries throughout the day bring another 5-10 cm of snow and then the next storm arrives Monday night bringing 15-30 cm overnight, strong wind out of the southwest increasing to extreme throughout the day, freezing level steady around 700 m.TUESDAY: Another 10-20 cm of snow during the day, extreme wind out of the southwest, and freezing level climbing to 1000 m.WEDNESDAY: Lingering flurries before another storm arrives Wednesday night, strong wind out of the west, freezing level dropping to 500 m.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanche activity has been reported. Please post your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN) this weekend.
Snowpack Summary
New snow will accumulate as a series of storms bring much needed snow to the region. With strong winds in the forecast expect thicker wind deposits at high elevations. The new snow will likely bond poorly to the weak surface hoar and facets that have been sitting on the surface for the past week. Deeper in the snowpack, there are reports of several crusts including an early season crust with facets near the bottom of the snowpack.We currently have limited snowpack observations, but expect snow depths ranging from 70-120 cm in the alpine. This decreases dramatically with elevation where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks.
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.