Assess for changing weather conditions. Snowfall during the day may exceed forecast amounts in regions along the US border. While recently formed wind slabs may take some more time to bond to the underlying, firm surfaces.
Cold, northerly winds are redistributing new snow into potentially reactive windslabs. With cold temperatures windslabs will take longer then usual to stabilize and bond to the underlaying, hard surfaces.
Be especially cautious at treeline elevations where the overlaying slab may sit on top of large feathery, surface hoar crystals.
A few small wind slab releases have been reported over the weekend through the MIN.
If you head out into the mountains, please share your photos or observations on the Mountain Information Network. Your information helps us understand local conditions!
Surface: Up to 30cm of snow since Saturday, which continues to be redistributed by mostly Northeasterly winds.
Upper snowpack: New snow has buried various firm, previously wind-affected surfaces. In sheltered terrain at lower elevations, the new snow overlays large surface hoar and a sun crust on solar aspects.
Mid snowpack: Generally bonding and well-settled.
Lower snowpack: Consists of numerous crusts and facets layers. A layer of note, buried in late November continues to show isolated reactivity in test profiles.
Snowpack depth at treeline is around 200 cm deep but decreases rapidly below 1500 m.
Monday night
Cloudy with a trace of snow by the morning. Light to moderate Southwest winds and temperatures around -20 C in the alpine.
Tuesday
Cloudy with snow throughout the day. Amounts generally range from 10 to 20 cm. Areas closest to the USA border could potentially see up to 30 cm. Light to moderate Southwest winds and temperatures around -15 to -25 C in the alpine.
Wednesday
Sunny, with no precipitation. Temperatures -20 to -30 C and Moderate to strong Easterly winds in the alpine.
Thursday
Sunny with periods of cloud. No Precipitation. Temperatures -20 to -30 C and moderate Easterly winds in the alpine.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
