Regions
Northwest Inland.
Recently formed wind slabs may remain reactive to human triggers for several days.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Sunday: Mix of sun and cloud / Moderate easterly winds / High of -18 C.Monday: Sunny / Light northeasterly winds / High of -15 C.Tuesday: Sunny / Light northeasterly winds / High of -15 C.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported in this region.
Snowpack Summary
Clear skies and strong outflow winds have created a variety of snow surfaces including scouring and hard wind slabs in exposed areas and surface hoar formation in sheltered areas. Recent winds have blown from many directions, most recently from the east. As a result, expect wind slabs to exist on a wide variety of exposed slopes. A layer of surface hoar was reported around Hudson Bay Mountain last week, which now sits beneath 40-50 cm of settling snow. A thick rain crust that formed in early November is now buried 50-60 cm deep, and recent snowpack tests produced sudden results on facets (sugary snow) above this crust. Early season snowpack observations are still very limited in the region, but reports suggest the average snowpack depth is 50-90 cm at treeline and 120 cm or greater in the alpine.
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.