Regions
Northwest Coastal.
Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Saturday
Weather Forecast
Friday: Cloudy with light precipitation increasing overnight. Freezing levels rising to 600m and strong westerly winds becoming moderate southwesterly with the onset of steady precipitation. Saturday: Snowfall tapering off throughout the day with 5-10cm expected by the afternoon. Freezing levels drop back to valley bottoms as winds shift to moderate to strong northerlies. Sunday: Mostly clear and dry with light variable winds.
Avalanche Summary
Avalanche activity has tapered off since the large natural glide and wet avalanche cycle earlier in the week.
Snowpack Summary
Light amounts of new snow has buried large surface hoar sitting on a 5-20cm thick melt freeze crust that extends into alpine elevation in the south, and around 1000m in the north. A strong temperature gradient in the top 30cm is causing faceting below the surface crust. This surface hoar/crust/facet combination could become particularly touchy once a sufficiently deep and cohesive slab forms. The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled and strong.
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.