We currently have very limited snowpack observations within this region and it is critical to supplement this information with your own observations.
Confidence
Low - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY: Cloudy with flurries / Light southwesterly ridgetop winds / Freezing level around 500 mSUNDAY: Mostly sunny / Light to moderate westerly ridgetop winds / Freezing level valley bottom.MONDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries / Light to moderate westerly ridgetop winds / Freezing level valley bottom.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported in this region on Thursday. This may speak to a lack of observations rather than actual conditions. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Snowpack Summary
Up to 40cm of new snow has fallen in the past few days. At higher elevations, southerly winds (gusting strong at times) likely redistributed the new snow, forming wind slabs on lee features.Below the recent storm snow you may find a couple of crusts which formed as a result of last week's rain. That said, little is known about the reactivity of these crusts or the elevation bands at which you're likely to find them. A major feature in the snowpack is a crust which formed around November 11th and can be found approximately 120cm down at treeline elevations. The depth of the snowpack varies greatly with elevation. Recent reports suggest the average depth is 200+cm in the alpine, 100-180cm at treeline, and decreasing rapidly below treeline where the primary hazards are rocks, stumps, and open creeks. We currently have very limited snowpack observations within this region and it is critical to supplement this information with your own observations.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.