Regions
Northwest Inland.
The primary avalanche concern is wind slabs in exposed terrain.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Thursday: Light snow, 2-4 cm. Freezing level around 300 m. Strong southeasterly winds.Friday: Flurries. Freezing level around 400 m. Moderate southeasterly winds, diminishing in the afternoon.Saturday: Dry with some sunshine possible. Freezing level around 700 m. Light easterly winds.
Avalanche Summary
A natural avalanche cycle occurred on Friday of last week in response to storm snow loading. There have been no subsequent reports of avalanches since then, but bear in mind there are not many observations coming in.
Snowpack Summary
A skiff of fresh snow sits above a variety of crusts on all but high north aspects.Last week avalanches were failing on weak layers roughly 40 cm below the surface. The weak layers included surface hoar on shaded aspects at high elevations and hard crust layers below treeline.Near the bottom of the snowpack, weak and sugary facets are found in shallow, rocky snowpack areas. Storm slabs have stepped down to these facets and producing very large avalanches in northern parts of the region.
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.