Snow is forecast for Wednesday!
Weather Forecast
Expect mainly sunny skies for Monday and Tuesday as the current ridge of high pressure remains parked over the region. By Tuesday evening, the ridge is expected to "flatten-out" allowing for a Pacific moisture stream to bring moderate snowfall to the region. Ridge top winds are forecast to be moderate from the west on Monday and Tuesday, switching to strong and southwesterly with Wednesday's system. Freezing levels should hover around 1800m for Monday and Tuesday, and then drop to about 1600m on Wednesday.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported. Forecast sunny skies may increase the likelihood of loose wet avalanches and cornice failures.
Snowpack Summary
Snow surfaces can best be described as variable. Melt-freeze conditions can be found on solar aspects in the alpine, and on all aspects at lower elevations. On high north-facing terrain, you'll likely find stubborn old wind slabs and surface facets. The snowpack is generally strong and well settled. However, large cornices may become weak with daytime warming.
Problems
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.