Cooling temperatures are set to stabilize the snowpack.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Monday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Light to moderate west wind. Freezing level to 900 metres with alpine temperatures of -3.Tuesday: Heavy rain transitioning to snow at high elevations. Approximately 30mm accumulation. Strong to extreme southwest winds. Freezing level dropping from 1400 to 1200 over the day with alpine temperatures around 0.Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with isolated wet flurries and a possible trace of new snow. Light west winds. Freezing level to 1300 metres with alpine temperatures around 0.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported. However, the recent rain-on-snow event is suspected to have caused a natural, loose wet avalanche cycle. Looking forward, cooling temperatures are set to stabilize the existing snowpack while light new snow amounts may form touchy but thin new wind slabs in lee terrain at higher elevations.
Snowpack Summary
There are limited reports on snowpack structure at this time, except that recent heavy rainfall has saturated the snowpack at all elevations and washed away much of the snow at lower elevations. Travel below treeline is becoming more and more rugged, with many open creeks and early season hazards. Snow depth varies from 40-130 cm for elevations between 900m and 1200m across the region.
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.