A clear and dry weather pattern is forecast for the weekend.
Recent new snow combined with west and southwest winds have promoted fresh windslab development. At treeline, these slabs may be sitting on a recently buried weak layer of surface hoar.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mainly cloudy, light wind from the west, alpine high temperatures around -4 C.
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around -6 C.
SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.
MONDAY: Mainly cloud with flurries, moderate to strong wind from the southwest, alpine temperature around -4 C.
A few small wind slab avalanches (size 1) were reported on Thursday morning. Looking ahead, the main concern is new slabs forming above the recently buried surface hoar crystals as the recent new snow settles.
Recent snow has buried a concerning layer of surface hoar that formed in areas sheltered from the wind. 15-30 cm of fresh snow may now be sitting above this layer. As more snow accumulates expect to see it form very reactive slabs. Reports suggest this layer can be found on all aspects up to treeline elevations. In the alpine, the new snow is burying hard wind slabs and/or sun crusts on south-facing terrain. The lower snowpack is generally considered strong, as there has been very little to report in terms of recent avalanche activity or snowpack test results on deeper layers. Snowpack depths at treeline range from 100-150 cm and taper quickly at lower elevations.
