Confidence
Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Friday
Weather Forecast
Thursday: Very light snowfall with generally overcast skies / Light southwest winds / Freezing level at 1300mFriday: Light snowfall becoming moderate in the afternoon / Strong southwest winds / Freezing level at 1100mSaturday: Light snowfall / Light northwest winds / Freezing level at 1100m
Avalanche Summary
Avalanche observations have been limited in the last few days. I would expect a good round of storm slab activity in the wake of snow and wind on Wednesday.
Snowpack Summary
Moderate to locally heavy amounts of snow fell on Wednesday. At lower elevations rain continued to saturate the snowpack. The storm was accompanied by moderate to strong south/southwest winds which left variable snow distribution in exposed areas near ridgetop with dense wind slabs forming in lee and cross-loaded features. Up to 75cm below the surface you will likely find moist snow or a melt-freeze crust (depending on elevation) from last week's sunny weather. Spotty surface hoar on high north facing terrain may also exist at the same interface. Cornices are very large and could pop off with continued mild temperatures.
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.