Regions
Northwest Inland.
Storm slabs will likely be reactive. Ridgetop wind will switch from the East to the West forming wind slabs on most aspects. Stick to simple terrain first while gathering observations.
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
Overnight Thursday: New snow 5-10 cm accompanied by strong easterly winds and freezing level at valley bottom.Friday: Cloudy with 3-7 cm of new snow. Ridgetop winds light gusting strong from the northwest. Alpine temperatures near -8 and freezing levels 600 m.Saturday: Mix of sun and cloud. Ridgetop wind strong from the West. Alpine temperatures near -7 and freezing levels 900 m.Sunday: Mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperatures near -7 with freezing levels near 900 m. Ridgetop winds mostly light with strong gusts from the West.
Avalanche Summary
On Wednesday there was evidence of lower elevation glide slab releases.With forecast snow and wind you can expect the avalanche hazard to rise.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 15 cm of new snow with another 10-15 cm in the forecast is expected overnight. The new snow will likely have a poor bond to the underlying snow surface which consists of surface hoar on northerly aspects in higher elevation bands and firm melt-freeze crusts. In the mid-pack, a surface hoar and crust layer from January is buried around 80 to 140 cm in the southwest of the region. This layer still has the potential to be triggered from a thin snowpack spot, or with a large trigger like a cornice fall.Sugary facets exist at the bottom of the snowpack in steep, rocky, and shallow snowpack areas.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.