Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Confidence
Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Monday
Weather Forecast
Monday: Mainly sunny conditions, with light northwesterly winds. Freezing level at valley bottom. Tuesday: A weak frontal system will bring 5-10 cm new snow with some gusty southwesterly winds. Freezing level should rise slightly to around 500 m. Wednesday: another weak frontal system arrives late in the day, bringing further light precipitation.
Avalanche Summary
Slab avalanches from glide cracks have been reported near Terrace up to size 2.5, releasing from steep, smooth, rocky areas. Wet snow slides have also been reported in moist snow at low elevations.
Snowpack Summary
5-10 cm of new snow at treeline and above has buried a surface hoar layer (crystal size reported to be 1-4 mm) lying on old surfaces comprising crusts and variable wind slabs. The crusts formed in response to successive melt-freeze cycles and are harder and thicker the lower in elevation you go. The wind slabs were deposited on a variety of aspects and are becoming increasingly stubborn and difficult to trigger. Deeper within the snowpack, a facet layer buried around Jan 20th is the greatest concern. This layer lies approximately 110-140 cm below the surface and still exhibits hard, sudden planar results in isolated snowpack tests.
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.