Yukon

Wind slabs are likely becoming harder to trigger.

Continue to approach ridgelines with caution, slabs may remain reactive where they sit over weak and faceted snow.

A size 1.5 wind slab was observed yesterday, see photo below.

On Sunday, size 2 avalanches were reported in the Three Guardsman area of Haines Summit. And on Saturday, several size 1.5 wind slabs and a size 2.5 storm slab avalanche were reported in the Big Kahuna area.

Looking forward, wind slabs are expected to become less likely to trigger.

30 cm of recent snowfall has been heavily affected by strong southerly winds. This sits over firm, wind-affected surfaces in exposed areas, faceted (weak) snow in sheltered terrain, and a crust on steep solar aspects. A poor bond to these interfaces may exist.

A weak layer of facets and a crust from early December is buried 60 to 150 cm deep on all aspects up to 1750 m. This layer has not produced recent avalanche activity or test results, and is not currently a concern.

Snow depth varies from 120 cm at highway elevations to over 200 cm in the alpine.

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds, increasing to 60 km/h in the afternoon. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Thursday

Up to 8 cm of snow by Thursday morning.

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow over the day. 50 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with up to 7 cm of snow. 50 to 60 km/h southerly wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
• Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.