Regions
South Coast Inland.
Watch for lingering wind slabs in high north facing terrain and wet sluffing on steep sun exposed slopes.
Weather Forecast
A mix of sun and cloud is expected on Tuesday with possibility of isolated flurries. Alpine wind is expected to be light to moderate from the west and afternoon freezing levels are forecast to reach around 1000 m. Similar conditions are expected for Wednesday and Thursday with a mix of sun and cloud, light alpine wind, and treeline temperatures around -10C.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported on Saturday or Sunday. On Friday, a size 3 persistent slab avalanche was observed up the Hurley at treeline elevation and likely failed on the weak layer from early February.
Snowpack Summary
At higher elevations, 15-30 cm of recent snow overlies the widespread mid-February crust layer. Recent reports suggest this snow is well bonded to the crust. Wind slabs and cornices were recently being reported in high north facing alpine terrain. Below around 1800 m, the crust is at or near the snow surface and is reported to be solid and supportive to the weight of a skier. In the north of the region, a facet/surface hoar layer from early February down 60-100 cm is still reactive in snowpack tests but would be very difficult to trigger without something heavy like a cornice fall or smaller avalanche stepping down.
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.