Confidence
Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Wednesday
Weather Forecast
Mostly clear skies and light northerly winds are forecast for monday.Trace amounts of snow are expected on tuesday with light to moderate westerly winds.Moderate snowfall will arrive on wednesday with moderate westerly winds.Freezing levels for the forecast period are expected to stay at valley bottom.
Avalanche Summary
There have been no recent avalanches reported.
Snowpack Summary
At the base of the snowpack mixed forms (rounding facets/rounding depth hoar) with an associated crust are prevalent, and have been especially problematic where it is overlying summer firn. Above that, and down 1-2m, are two more crusts combined with more mixed forms and surface hoar. The overlying snow has recently settled and stiffened and the weak interfaces have also gained strength. The snow surface is wind hammered in wind-exposed areas, crusty on sun-exposed slopes, and faceted powder with large surface hoar on shady sheltered slopes. A thick rain crust is down 20-40cm and extends up to treeline elevations.
Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.