Special Public Avalanche Warning extended for this region. Continued strong solar radiation and high freezing levels will keep the avalanche danger elevated.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
Weather Forecast
The ridge of high pressure that is responsible for the clear skies and very warm temperatures is slowly starting to move eastward. Freezing levels should drop a bit, but will remain above 2500 metres overnight and morning sun should quickly break down any crusts that develop. High cloud is expected to move into the interior ranges by Saturday afternoon. Moderate westerly winds on Saturday night combined with light precipitation may not drop freezing levels more than a few hundred metres, and may inhibit crust formation overnight. Sunday should be mostly sunny with light winds and freezing levels at 2500 metres. Freezing levels should begin to drop by Monday morning, when moderate southwest winds and precipitation move inland from the coast.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous solar releases up to size 2.0 were reported on Thursday. On Wednesday, loose wet avalanches were reported up to size 2. On Tuesday numerous natural cornice releases resulted in avalanches up to size 3.0 from various aspects in the alpine. On Monday we had reports of several natural cornice falls up to size 2.0 from various aspects in the alpine. There were also several loose moist or wet avalanches up to size 2.0 on solar exposed aspects in steep terrain in the late afternoon.
Snowpack Summary
New surface crusts have developed at all elevations on solar aspects and on all but high alpine elevations on shaded aspects. Thin surface crusts may break down early with continued warm temperatures. Approximately 30-50 cm of settled storm snow sits on a melt-freeze crust buried on Mar. 20. The late February persistent weak layer continues to be a concern for wide propagations in isolated terrain, however it may take a large trigger like a cornice fall to initiate an avalanche. Watch for recent storm snow releasing as loose wet avalanches on steep solar aspects with strong solar radiation and daytime warming this week.
Problems
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.