Isolated wind slabs may still be found up high. Continue to assess the surface snow and expect loose wet activity under sunny skies.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, light southwest wind, alpine temperature -6 C, freezing level 1500 m.TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, light to moderate west wind, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level 1800 m.WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level 2000 m.THURSDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, light southwest wind, alpine temperature 0 C, freezing level 2400 m.
Avalanche Summary
A few small to large (size 1 to 2) storm slab avalanches were reported on Sunday. They were in alpine terrain, around 30 cm deep, and on north to west aspects. Otherwise, the recent loose storm snow was reactive to skier traffic on steep, southerly aspects.
Snowpack Summary
Around 10 cm of recent snow has remained dry in northerly alpine terrain and may overly isolated pockets of weak surface hoar crystals. All other aspects and elevation bands will have either wet surface snow or a melt-freeze crust due to an increasing freezing level and heat from the sun. Weak and sugary faceted grains remain at the bottom of the snowpack in the alpine. This layer creates a low likelihood but high consequence scenario. Steep, rocky areas with a shallow snowpack are the most likely places to trigger this layer.
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.