Regions
Northwest Inland.
Variable amounts of snow will fall in the region on Thursday. Where it accumulates, the snow may not bond well to underlying layers and be reactive to human traffic.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, freezing level below valley bottom.THURSDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, light to moderate southwest winds, alpine temperature -4 C, freezing level below valley bottom.FRIDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, light to moderate south winds, alpine temperature -15 C, freezing level below valley bottom.SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with light snowfall, trace accumulation, light southwest winds, alpine temperature -25 C, freezing level below valley bottom.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed in the region on Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
New snow will fall onto a wind-affected surface in high alpine, a widespread melt-freeze, and feathery surface hoar crystals in sheltered areas.In the south of the region, the remainder of the snowpack has been reported as generally well-settled.Around and north of Hazelton, 40 to 100 cm of snow may overly two weak layers of surface hoar in sheltered and shaded areas. A weak layer of sugary faceted grains may also exist, approximately 150 to 200 cm deep.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.