Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain
Weather Forecast
Sunday: A Mix of sun and cloud, with a chance of light flurries. Winds could turn Northwesterly with gusts up to 50 km/h. Temperatures should reach -5.Monday: Continued mixed skies with isolated flurries. Winds continue Northwesterly with stronger gusts and temperatures peak around -10.Tuesday: Cloudy with light snow. Winds slow and turn Southwesterly and temperatures should be steady around -10.
Avalanche Summary
Isolated sluffing continues. This issue is magnified by solar radiation on sunny slopes.
Snowpack Summary
Lots of snow depth and surface condition variability exists in the region. Hard windslabs can be found on North and East facing terrain due to previous moderate and strong South and West winds. The windward slope are hard pressed and in many locations scoured down to very shallow snow depths (or to rock!). In more sheltered areas, the cold nights have facetted the upper snowpack, leaving the surface snow soft. Surface hoar is growing in these sheltered locations as well. A sun crust has formed on steep South facing slopes.The mid pack is well settled and strong. This overlies one or two crusts (location specific) with the higher crust being as shallow as 70cm below the surface. Concern lingers (unlikely) for triggering a deep slab avalanche in a shallow snowpack area.
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.