A warm, wet and windy impulse of weather will lead to an increase in danger levels. Avoid all avalanche terrain during times of rain and/or rapid loading by wind and snow.
Confidence
Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Warm, wet and windy for the next couple of days. Freezing levels are expected near 2200m for both Wednesday and Thursday with winds reaching up to 125km/h from the SW. Precipitation is expected to be light, but will fall as rain at mid to lower elevations.
Avalanche Summary
Isolated snowballing and very small loose wet avalanches were observed today at lower elevations.
Snowpack Summary
Light rain fell through the day to an elevation of at least 2300m. The extent of the rain soaked snow is unknown at this time. Blowing snow was observed at ridge top due to extreme SW winds. Settlement of the upper and mid snowpack has caused an increase in the potential for human-triggering due to more dense slab properties above the weak basal layers. The November rain crust is the main culprit here and will remain a serious concern for sometime to come.
Problems
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.
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.
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.