Lingering wind slabs remain a concern in the alpine. Exercise increasing caution around solar aspects and lower elevations as loose wet avalanche conditions develop over the day.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Friday: Mainly sunny. Light north winds. Freezing level to 1500 metres with alpine high temperatures around -1 to 0.Saturday: Mainly sunny with increasing cloud in the afternoon and light flurries overnight. Light north winds. Freezing level to 1500 metres with alpine high temperatures around 0 to -1.Sunday: Cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Light northwest winds. Freezing level to 1300 metres with alpine high temperatures of -2.
Avalanche Summary
No recent notable avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
A mid-week 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 metres have seen daily change through melt-freeze cycles. In the limited alpine terrain where the recent precipitation fell as snow, lingering wind slabs will remain a concern over the near term.Below any recent snow accumulations, the overall snowpack is well settled and strong. New cornices formed and old ones grew more overhanging with the snowfall at the end of last week. Cornices become more unstable during the day as the temperature rises.
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.