It is a good time to be traveling in the mountains, but remember that low danger does not mean no danger. Loose wet avalanche activity should be limited Tuesday, but stubborn old wind slabs and large cornices demand our respect.
Confidence
High - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Wednesday
Weather Forecast
Tuesday offers a bit of a drying trend for most of the province. A low approaching from the Gulf of Alaska may bring some precipitation to the region beginning Wednesday afternoon.TUESDAY: Overcast, freezing level holding at 1000 m, light to moderate northwest wind, 1 to 2 mm of precipitation possible. WEDNESDAY: Overcast, freezing level holding at 1000 m, light southwest wind, 5 to 10 mm of precipitation possible. THURSDAY: Broken cloud cover, freezing level holding at 700 m, moderate southwest wind, 8 to 12 mm of precipitation possible.
Avalanche Summary
No recent notable avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
Last week's storm brought up to 15 cm of new snow to the alpine while rain saturated the upper snowpack at treeline and below. Surface conditions on solar aspects and below about 1500 m have been affected by daily melt-freeze cycles. In the limited alpine terrain where the recent precipitation fell as snow, stubborn old wind slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.Below any recent snow accumulations, the overall snowpack is well settled and strong. Cornices loom over many ridge lines. Cornices become more unstable during the day as the temperature rises, especially when they are receiving direct sun.
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.