Intrepid alpine wanderers may find wind affected slopes at higher elevations.
Confidence
Low - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Friday night: Dry and clear.Saturday: Dry, with cloud building through the day. Light westerly winds. Freezing level around 900 m.Sunday: Mostly dry during the day, with snow or rain starting in the evening. Light southerly winds. Freezing level rising rapidly to around 2000 m in the afternoon.Monday: A significant storm is expected bringing up to 100 mm rain, strong southerly winds and freezing levels around 2200 m.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
Alpine areas near Squamish are expected to have the most snow, with around 60 cm or so on the ground. Recent southwesterly winds may have produced deeper drifts of snow behind ridges. At higher elevations, it is possible the recent new snow may rest on top of a crust. In most places below 1500 m there is insufficient snow for avalanches.
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.