Watch out for reactive wind slabs in alpine and open treeline.
Confidence
Moderate - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Weather Forecast
The next pulse of snow is expected to roll in Tuesday night with 10-15cm of snow by Wednesday morning. Winds pick up with the incoming storm and spike to strong out of the southwest Tuesday night. Freezing levels may also rise to around 1700m during height of storm Tuesday night but generally remain at valley bottom throughout the forecast period. We expect a clearing trend Wednesday/Thursday.
Avalanche Summary
On Sunday no new avalanches were reported in this region.
Snowpack Summary
Wind slabs on lee aspects in alpine and open treeline. 5-10cm new snow is sitting on top of a crust in many areas which will increase the distance that small avalanches run. The mid February layer is down 30-60cm and is a crust in most areas. This layer is generally well bonded to the overlying persistent slab. However, in isolated ares there is surface hoar or facets overlying this crust making the interface much more likely to produce large avalanches.
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.