Avoid complex and wind-loaded terrain.
Storm slabs will be building throughout Sunday.
Persistent weak layers of surface hoar/facets or crust remain a concern in the upper 60 - 100 cm. Storm slab avalanches could step down to these layers, forming very large avalanches.
Storm slabs will be building through Sunday and expected to be most reactive on north through east facing wind-loaded slopes at upper elevations.
Storm slab activity in the size 1-2 range has been consistently reported at upper elevations across the region. A few larger persistent slabs, up to size 3, have also been observed, these were largely triggered by cornice failures.
With more snow and wind in the forecast, we expect this trend to continue into Sunday.
Up to 20 cm of new snow is expected to fall overnight and through Sunday and will build widespread new storm slabs. Due to forecast winds, these slabs are expected to be thickest and most reactive on wind-loaded north and east-facing slopes. Snow may be moist or wet at lower elevations.
Three persistent weak layers consisting of surface hoar, facets, or a crust may be found in the upper to mid-snowpack:
Early March layer down 60 - 100 cm. This is the primary persistent layer of concern.
Mid-Feb layer down 90 - 170 cm.
Late-Jan layer down 100 - 200 cm.
The lingering concern for the Feb and Jan weak layers is in shallow or rocky areas, otherwise, these are unlikely to trigger without a significant load.
Saturday Night
Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow and up to 20 cm coming Sunday night. 25 to 35 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
Monday
Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow / potential rain below 1700m. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.
Tuesday
Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow / light rain. 15 to 30 km/h south ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +3 °C. Freezing level rising to 2100 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
