Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Confidence
Fair - Due to limited field observationsfor the entire period
Weather Forecast
Thursday and Friday: A mix of sun and cloud, but no precipitation expected. Moderate to strong westerly winds and freezing levels rising throughout Thursday reaching as high as 1500m on friday. Saturday: Increasing cloud with light precipitation possible by midday. Freezing levels dropping back down to valley bottoms.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous natural loose wet avalanches up to Size 2 with isolated Size 2.5s were observed during the warm and wet weather on Monday. Large glide avalanches from steep rock slabs were also observed; one was reported to be size 3.5.
Snowpack Summary
Alpine areas are wind-blasted with soured areas and deep drifts on all aspects. Overnight rain up to 1100m in the north, and alpine elevations in the south, likely melted surface hoar, settled surface facets, and froze crust. Glide cracks are opening and cornices are weakening.
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.