Watch for new wind slabs developing as the winds continue to shift directions.
Confidence
Moderate - Wind effect is extremely variable
Weather Forecast
Cloudy tonight with moderate southwest winds and a trace to a few cm of new snow. Alpine temps around -20. Cloudy with moderate winds and a chance of light snow on Saturday. Cloudy with a chance of light snow on Sunday. Winds becoming strong northerly on Monday and Alpine temperatures should drop back down to -25 under clear skies.
Avalanche Summary
There are no new reports of avalanche activity.
Snowpack Summary
Surface snow has been facetting during this period of cold weather, and last weeks storm snow has been settling slowly. Areas sheltered from the wind may be developing a new surface hoar layer. The mid-november crust is buried down 100-180 cm and produces variable results in snowpack tests. Moderate results may be more likely in shallower snowpack areas, and deeper snowpack areas may be more likely to show no results on this layer. Professionals continue to monitor the crust for facet develop that may provide a weak layer above a hard sliding surface in the future.
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.