Forecast snowfall amounts for Tuesday are highly uncertain. Pay close attention to how much snow falls in your area, and choose terrain accordingly.
Confidence
Low - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Tuesday
Weather Forecast
On Tuesday expect 5-15cm of new snow. A dry ridge should ensure mainly sunny skies for Wednesday and Thursday. Ridgetop winds should be extreme from the southwest on Tuesday, becoming light on Wednesday and Thursday. Freezing levels should sit at about 1300m on Tuesday and then climb to about 3300m for Wednesday and Thursday.
Avalanche Summary
Observations were extremely limited on Sunday, but in the neighboring Sea to Sky region we received reports of heat-induced natural loose wet and cornice avalanches to size 1.5. New wind slab activity is expected in response to new wind and snow on Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
On Sunday night and Monday 5-20cm of new snow fell with the highest accumulations in the southwest of the region. The new snow was shifted by strong southerly winds into fresh wind slabs in wind-exposed terrain. Due to the temperature trend in the storm (warm to cold), the new snow likely developed a reasonable bond to older surfaces which include a mix of hard crusts on high elevation solar aspects, settled dry snow in north-facing alpine terrain, and moist snow everywhere else. Below the new snow, the snowpack is generally strong and well-settled. Cornices are huge and will become weak with future warming and solar radiation.
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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.