Wind Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–1.5
Watch for pockets of wind slab in leeward and cross-loaded terrain, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
New snow and strong wind may form fresh and reactive wind slabs.
Be especially cautious on northerly facing slopes where the wind may have made deeper deposits of snow.
Watch for pockets of wind slab in leeward and cross-loaded terrain, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
No recent avalanche observations reported.
No persistent slab avalanches have been reported since early February.
If you are traveling in the mountains consider posting to the MIN.
Up to 10 cm of new snow accompanied by strong southwest wind may build new wind slabs Wednesday. It sits over firm wind-affected surfaces in exposed areas or softer, faceted snow in sheltered terrain. A crust may exist on steep solar aspects.
A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December is buried 60 to 100 cm deep. This layer exists on all aspects up to 1750 m. This layer has not been active in producing avalanches or test results in several weeks and is generally not a concern at this time.
At the highway elevation, the snow depth is 120 cm, and in the alpine exceeds 200 cm.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy with a trace of snow. 25 to 45 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Wednesday
Mainly cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with some sunny periods and 3 to 5 cm of snow. 45 to 75 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
Friday
Mix of sun and cloud with a trace of new snow. 10 km south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.