If the wind picks-up, new reactive wind slabs may form
Confidence
Moderate - Wind speed and direction is uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light to moderate north wind / Alpine temperature of -15 Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwest wind / Alpine temperature of -10 Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud in the north of the region. In the far south possibly light flurries / Light northerly wind / Alpine temperature -9
Avalanche Summary
Over past few days loose dry and soft wind slab avalanches to size 1.5 were reported at treeline and in the alpine. If the wind picks-up, new wind slab activity will likely occur, especially in areas where snow surfaces are loose and unconsolidated.
Snowpack Summary
20-50cm of recent low density storm snow is settling slowly due to the cold temperatures. Variable wind effect has created wind slabs in the alpine in some areas, while other operations report little or no wind resulting in loose unconsolidated snow. The depth of the mid-november crust is also variable across the region. Reports have the crust down between 100-200 cm and snowpack tests have produced a wide array of results from moderate sudden planar to hard resistant planar, and in some cases no result. Watch for near surface facets developing in the upper snowpack and a recently buried layer of surface hoar that may develop a poor bonding layer before the next storm. If you dig down to the crust, watch for facets developing above and/or below that may provide a weak layer above a smooth sliding surface in the future.
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.