Northwest Inland

Buried weak layers are directly under the recent snow and are most likely to be a problem where the surface snow is heavy or firm.

On Tuesday and Thursday our field team had concerning snowpack test results on the same surface hoar layer (buried in mid November) related to this Mountain Information Network report.

5 to 10 cm of new snow has buried previously wind affected snow in the alpine and open areas at treeline.

In sheltered areas, expect to find soft snow.

A layer of weak, feathery (surface hoar) crystals is buried 20 to 40 cm and is most problematic where the surface snow is firm.

A crust formed in November and is buried at about 60 to 90 cm with small facets above it.

At treeline, the snow is about 100 cm deep, snowpack depth gradually thins as elevation decreases to 30 cm at valley bottom.

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 6 cm of snow. 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 600 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 25 cm. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Tuesday
Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.