New snowfall will be light, if any at all. Be aware of increasing hazard with daytime heating.
Confidence
Good - The weather pattern is stable
Weather Forecast
No significant precipitation in the near forecast, The freezing level remains near 1500 m for the most part, but will drop to valley bottom Saturday afternoon, then climb to 1500 m again for Sunday. Winds will be light NW for the most part with a mix of sun and cloud.
Avalanche Summary
Small (size 1-1.5) skier-triggered wind slabs have been reported in exposed alpine terrain, and loose snow sluffing in steep terrain. One observer reported seeing a couple of natural size 2-2.5 slabs from steep solar aspects that were loaded by recent Northwest winds.
Snowpack Summary
Variable recent storm snow totals across the region are generally in the 5-25 cm range. The snow surface varies with elevation and aspect with respect to sun and wind exposure, and includes dry new snow, loose facetted snow, wind slabs, and sun crusts. The mid-February crust is down around 10-30 cm where it isn't wind loaded or scoured. The late-Jan crust/surface hoar layer (up to 100 cm deep) and the mid-January surface hoar (80-120 cm deep) are generally dormant, and chances of triggering these weaknesses have decreased. However, triggering may be possible with a large input such as cornice fall, or an avalanche stepping down, especially on slopes that see a lot of sun.
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.