If the sun comes out today expect the new storm snow to become more reactive and the low elevation snowpack to turn to mush.
Weather Forecast
Today will be cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Ridge top wind will be from the SW at 15-35kph and freezing levels will reach 1800m. The rest of the week continues to remain unsettled with cloudy skies, freezing levels between 1800-2100m and small amounts of daily precip.
Snowpack Summary
15cm of new snow fell overnight with freezing level around 1000m. Yesterday the surface snow was observed to be moist on all aspects to well into the alpine and previous SW winds created wind slabs on lee features & huge cornices at ridgetop. Isothermal snow can be found below TL. Cold, dry snow may be found on very high northerly slopes.
Avalanche Summary
A field team encountered touchy surface wind slabs on northerly lee aspects at 2200m. The 10-15cm soft slabs were easily failing with ski cuts and running fast on a temp crust. Yesterday sz 2.0 low elevation wet avalanches were observed likely due to rain & warm temps.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
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.
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.
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.