Confidence
Fair - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Thursday
Weather Forecast
Overnight and Thursday: Strong Southwest winds combined with a few cms of new snow overnight. Snow fall amounts are expected to increase during the day Thursday as winds continue to be strong and shift to the West.Friday: Continued westerly winds in the morning should shift to the Southeast in the wake of the last storm. Light flurries may linger for the morning without much accumulation.Saturday: Light East-Southeast winds and cooler temperatures, Alpine overnight temperatures near -15.0.
Avalanche Summary
Large explosives created avalanches to size 1.0 in the North of the region. Loose snow avalanches up to size 1.0 were reported across the region.
Snowpack Summary
Thin wind slabs continue to develop with each pulse of snow and wind. Most of the precipitation has been tracking along the U.S. border, so the southern parts of this region may have quite a bit more new snow than the North. Areas with sheltered terrain have been reporting no new shears in the recent storm snow. Unconsolidated snow with thin wind slabs in exposed terrain in the alpine and at treeline has been reported from most areas.
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.