Watch for inversion conditions over the next few days. Remember that slopes above you may be warmer than what you can feel. Warming could make the persistent slab problem reactive. Be wary of sheltered locations that may hold buried surface hoar.
Weather Forecast
Warm air is expected to move in above the current cold air early Tuesday. The resulting inversion conditions may bring temperatures above freezing at upper elevations. When combined with solar radiation if the skys are clear, this could have a radical effect on the snowpack with windslabs and some lurking persistent slab problems.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 5cm HN with Strong NW winds creating windslabs near exposed ridge crests. 30-40cm low denisty snow is sitting on a 20-40 cm slab over the Jan 5 interface. Moderate Sudden Planar test results can be found on preserved surface hoar at this interface in isolated, sheltered locations. There is a high degree of variability with this layer.
Avalanche Summary
A few surface windslabs have been observed in the past 3 days sizes 2 to 2.5. These have been in steep terrain near ridge crests or below extreme terrain. Cornice failures, wind loading, and sluffs have served as the triggers. No activity has been seen on the Jan 5 persistent slab: its spotty nature and the cold snow have kept things quiet for now.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.