Reactive wind slabs may be found on all aspects due to recent switching winds.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Weather Forecast
The cold arctic outflow will reside as an active weather pattern reaches the Coast tomorrow bringing slightly warmer temperatures, strong winds and new snow. Friday: Snow amounts 5-10 cm with ridgetop winds light from the southeast. Alpine temperatures near -6 and freezing levels 600 m. Saturday: Snow amounts 8-12 cm with ridgetop winds light-gusting strong from the southwest. Alpine temperatures near -5 and freezing levels rising to 800 m.Sunday: Snow amounts 20-30 cm with ridgetop winds moderate-gusting strong from the southwest. Alpine temperatures near -8 and freezing levels 900 m.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on Thursday. New snow and wind may build fresh wind slabs on leeward slopes. Sluffing is likely from steeper terrain features.
Snowpack Summary
Strong winds have formed stiff, yet reactive wind slabs in the lee of exposed terrain. Up to 15 cm of snow sits above a thin breakable sun crust and isolated pockets of buried surface hoar. Some recent snowpack tests have shown hard, yet sudden planar results on the mid-January interface (facets) buried approximately 60-100 cm down. A total of 60-120 cm of settled storm snow now forms the upper snowpack and is generally bonded to a crust below. The exception may be thin rocky areas. The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled, but still feature a number of facet and crust layers that are currently dormant but require monitoring with significant change
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.