Regions
Northwest Inland.
Limited field observations and reports exist from this region. Conditions can be variable. It is important to be familiar with the snowpack and avalanche problems that may exist in your local mountains.
Confidence
Poor - Due to limited field observations for the entire period
Weather Forecast
The weather pattern continues with generally cloudy skies, light amounts of precipitation, light winds and cool air. The arctic air mass that has been stationary over the Northern part of the province will slowly start to retreat Sunday afternoon bringing temperatures back to seasonal norms. Freezing levels will remain at valley bottom.Saturday: Snow amounts 5 cm, ridgetop winds SE 20 km/hr, alpine temps near -9.Sunday: Snow amounts near 5 cm, ridgetop winds SE 25 km/hr, and alpine temps - 7.Monday: Snow amounts near 5 cm, ridgetop winds SE 20 km/hr, and alpine temps 10.
Avalanche Summary
No new natural avalanches have been reported. Fresh wind slabs have been observed in exposed areas.
Snowpack Summary
New storm slabs and wind slabs instabilities exist at treeline and alpine locations. They may be touchy to rider triggers; especially on leeward slopes and behind terrain features where pockets of wind slab easily build. At treeline depths in the southern part of the region range between 70 – 125 cm, but highly variable in the alpine with deep wind drifts and scoured slopes in exposed areas. Generally, the mid-pack is gaining strength and possibly even bridging the persistent weakness below. Digging down deeper is the early November facet/crust layer. This crust sits near the base of the snowpack down 70-110 cm. This layer has produced moderate "drops" results in recent snowpack tests. Because this weakness is so close to the ground in most areas, associated avalanche activity will likely be limited to slopes with smooth ground cover (e.g. scree slopes, rock slabs, grassy areas, etc.)
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
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.