While the colder temperatures should reduce natural avalanches, the recent wind slabs developed over the basal facets has the potential to make remote triggering an avalanche in the alpine likely.
Weather Forecast
Colder temperatures will occur into the weekend with sunny periods on Thursday. Sporadic snow flurries will return for Friday and through the weekend with increasing snowfalls coming early next week. the colder temperatures should lock the snowpack in.
Snowpack Summary
Strong, turbulent winds continue to add to the variable snow distribution at treeline and above. Wind slabs are developing in lee terrain features. These windslabs sit above the October 27 raincrust with weak basal facets at the bottom of the snowpack.
Avalanche Summary
A size 1.5 slab occurred today at 1800m on a slope with a primarily Easterly aspect. This was a thin windslab over basal facets and ran to ground. Colder temperatures should lock the snowpack in for the short term. While there is variable snow distribution on the landscape, there is still potential for slab avalanches to occur in isolated terrain.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Friday
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.