Chinook conditions will persist for another day. Wind values will remain strong out of the west but we have found them to be rather sporadic in nature. There is a lot of loose snow available for wind transport so rapid changes are possible.
Weather Forecast
A mild inversion was noted on Tuesday with temps at treeline of -7 and temps in the valley bottoms in the -16 degree range for much of the day. The chinook winds are mainly confined to the higher peaks although in localized areas they did reach down to treeline resulting in redistribution of storm snow and the formation of wind slabs and crusts. Chinook conditions are forecast for Wednesday again so we can look forward to warmer temps and the likelihood that wind effects in all elevation zones will be observed.
Avalanche Summary
New avalanche observations on Tuesday were limited to small sluffs from steep alpine terrain. Upper elevation winds were sporadic most of the day but when they did touch down along the ridge tops and peaks sluffs were quick to materialize. Ski cutting on some steep slopes near treeline produced nothing more than deep ski penetrations.
Snowpack Summary
Storm snow is continuing to settle but cold temperatures have resulted in considerable facetting within the upper layers. New surface hoar growth of 2-3mm was observed up to treeline elevation in travels today. WInd effects from the past 24 hours are becoming more evident with some sculpting and scouring observed. Slopes open to the full effects of the wind are developing thin crusts. Ski quality in sheltered areas is still very good.
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.