Some snow up high and some rain down low. Hopefully soft turns to be had at all elevation bands!
Wind Slabs will be possible to trigger on Sunday and Monday. These will be isolated to upper elevation terrain near ridge top. Any new snow is likely to form these slabs with depths between 10-20cm expected.
Loose Wet avalanches will be possible at mid elevations, especially as rain falls on snow. Look for roller balling or a total loss of cohesion at the surface as key signs hazard is on the up!
Moderate
None reported in the past 48 hours.
Significant warming and softening of surfaces occurred in most terrain Saturday afternoon. Old wind deposits in sheltered terrain across the Nor Easterly 1/2 do remain. In places, these are up to 50cm deep, very stiff/hard and easily identified. Elsewhere, the rain crust from July 15th will still be exposed. Underneath the rain crust, there is no significant layering of note, with the snowpack well consolidated through to ground.
Sunday: Some light snowfall overnight Saturday. Accumulations will be no greater than 5-10cm. FAFL around 1600m. Moderate W 1/2 winds.
Monday: Overcast cloud clears to a fine afternoon. W 1/4 winds continue. FAFL down to 1300m.
There will not be significant sliding danger in the Hutt Range on Sunday. Be wary of the FAFL dropping on Monday and locking surfaces up, especially if forecast FAFL is higher than expected and we see rainfall at higher elevation bands.
New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZ Mountain Safety Council)
