Northwest Coastal

Wind slabs are likely to be encountered at upper elevations and may be reactive to human triggering, especially in lee features.

No new avalanches were reported in the region on Saturday.Several small natural and explosives triggered avalanches (size 1-1.5) were reported in the region on Friday.

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

SATURDAY NIGHT - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries, 2-4 cm / southeast winds, 40-60 km/h / alpine low temperature near -9SUNDAY - Cloudy with flurries, 5-10 cm during the day and 5-10 cm overnight / southeast winds, 20-40 km/h / alpine high temperature near -5MONDAY - Flurries, 5-10 cm / southwest winds 15-40 km/h / alpine high temperature near -2, low temperature near -5TUESDAY - Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries / light southeast winds / alpine high temperature near -4, low temperature near -7

5-20 cm of recent snow sits on a melt-freeze crust to approximately 1000 m. Above 1000 m this new snow is sitting on the 100-150 cm of storm snow that came in over the past week. Strong winds have likely formed wind slabs at upper elevations, especially in lee features.This 100-150 cm of recent storm snow sits on a weak layer that was a concern when the first waves of the storm hit the coast, but the strength of this layer has generally improved over the past week. This layer consists of surface hoar (feathery crystals), facets (sugary snow), and crusts that formed during the dry spell in early December. The surface hoar is most prevalent and has most recently been reactive between 1100-1300 m in more northern portions of the region, and is something to keep in mind if you plan to travel to areas like Ningunsaw.Deeper in the snowpack, there are several crusts, including an early season crust with facets near the bottom of the snowpack.