Watch for a potentially sensitive storm slab.
Weather Forecast
Upwards of 20cm of storm snow expected in the next 24hrs accompanied by gusty SW winds reaching 50km/h. Winds are forecast to shift to westerly in the overnight period. Temperatures will be cooling with freezing levels dropping from 1500m to 900m by Friday.
Snowpack Summary
30cm of storm snow with moderate winds mainly from the S over the last 24hrs. Storm snow is landing on a thin layer of surface hoar that has been found above 1900m up Connaught drainage and in the Asulkan hut area. Deeper in the snowpack is the October melt freeze crust. Snow depths vary from 56cm at Rogers Pass, to 140-160cm in alpine areas.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity observed or reported in the last 24hrs. This may be in part due to lack of good visibility.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.