Chinook winds have been raging in all elevation zones Thursday with intense wind transport of now occurring. Look for windslabs to become increasingly sensitive to human triggering in the Alpine over the next few days.
Weather Forecast
Continued warm and windy for another day. Daytime highs approaching zero degrees with some concern for daytime heating issues on steep southerly aspects during sunny periods. No new precip in the forecasts for the next few days.
Avalanche Summary
Xe on small slopes in Elk Pass area BTL produced no results. One Size 1 moist sluff on S asp 2300m - isolated event.
Snowpack Summary
HSL forming in ALP/TL due to intense chinook wind conditions. Windward slopes being stripped bare with X westerly flow in all elevation zones. Constant spindrift in steep lee terrain. Isolated patches of 130106 SH found in areas BTL still- still reactive during control work.
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.