Regions
Northwest Inland.
New wind slabs may exist at higher elevations from recent snow and strong wind.
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation, moderate north wind, alpine temperature -9 C.WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with afternoon clearing, light to moderate northeast wind, alpine temperature -10 C.THURSDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light west wind, alpine temperature -8 C.FRIDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, alpine temperature -8 C.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed in the region on Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Tuesday's storm brought around 5 to 10 cm of snow to the region, with associated strong west wind. This snow accumulated onto a variety of hard slabs, wind-pressed snow, sastrugi, sugary faceted snow, and melt-freeze crust. In sheltered areas at and below treeline, the new snow may have fallen onto pockets of feathery surface hoar crystals and soft, faceted snow.In the south of the region, the remainder of the snowpack is well-settled. In the north of the region, around 50 cm of snow may overly a weak layer of surface hoar or faceted grains.
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.