Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Regions
Northwest Inland.
Wind is the story once again. Winds are forecast to be very strong and might continue to wreak havoc on the snowpack.
Confidence
Poor - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Saturday: Cloudy with flurries possibly 5-10 cm. The freezing level remains at valley bottom and winds are moderate or strong from the SW. Sunday: Cloudy with a chance of flurries in the afternoon. The freezing level should stay near valley bottom. Winds remain moderate from the S-SW. Monday: Cloudy with flurries or showers. The freezing level should start to climb and could reach 1500-1800 m late in the day. Winds increase to strong or extreme from the S-SW.
Avalanche Summary
There are no new avalanche reports from the region. Please let us know what you're seeing out there. Email us at [email protected].
Snowpack Summary
As we begin our forecasting season, we are working with limited information from the field. This forecast is primarily based off weather station data and a few field observations.Recent reports describe a shallow, highly variable, and wind affected snowpack with an average snow depth of 60 to 100 cm. The current snow surface is probably a mix of surface hoar, sugary facets, wind slab, or a crust depending on elevation and aspect. In some places a rain crust might be buried 20-30 cm deep, while in wind-exposed areas it could be on the surface. Deeper in the snowpack you may find another rain crust that formed earlier in the season. There's not much recent info on the strength of these crust interfaces.
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.