Wind Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Unlikely
- Size
- 1–2
Triggering an avalanche should be unlikely in most places today. Still, you might still find some unstable snow on an isolated terrain feature in extreme terrain or near a high elevation ridge where the winds have been strongest, so keep an eye out for signs of previous wind loading like dense hollow-sounding snow above softer snow, wind-created surface textures, or recent cornices. The terrain sheltered from the wind also holds softer snow.
The NE-E winds decreased yesterday afternoon and continued to do so overnight. Blowing snow over the last few days has also seemed limited to some of the highest peaks. Most of the slabs of wind-drifted snow that have formed should have remained small in most places. A few larger ones may have formed in isolated spots where the most wind-loading occurred, like on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges, the highest open slopes, or an alpine couloir. Triggering one of these wind slabs has become unlikely in most places today as the wind loading has decreased.