Avalanche Forecast

On Monday, several small loose dry avalanches were reported below treeline.

Widespread natural avalanche activity is expected to begin on Wednesday as snow and wind develop sensitive storm slabs.

Storm snow accumulates over wind-affected surfaces and old wind slabs in exposed areas and 30 to 60 cm of settling snow in sheltered areas.

Multiple weak layers exist in the upper and mid snowpack. The most concerning weak layer is a widespread crust found down 60 to 100 cm, with weak, faceted snow immediately above it. This layer will need time to adjust to the new snow load.

Tuesday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing levels rise to 700 m through the night.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 30 to 50 cm of snow above the snow rain line. 60 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rises to 1200 m.

Thursday

Cloudy with 4 to 9 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level drops to 800 m.

Friday

Partly cloudy with 1 to 4 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level rises to 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid all avalanche terrain during periods of heavy snowfall.
• Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
• Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
• Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.