Snowfall amounts on Thursday are expected to be light, but elevated accumulations would increase the avalanche danger.
Weather Forecast
Cont' broken skies and light flurries, mild temps and moderate overnight recovery of surface crusts. Light to mod westerly winds until Thursday.Thursday-Fri. Winds increase and shift South as a trough sweeps through with 10-15cm of snowfall. Freezing levels should edge upward and top 2000m on Thursday but otherwise remain below treeline.
Snowpack Summary
10-15cm of dense snow week over 4 days has created thin storm slabs which have bonded well at treeline and below, but may remain reactive on alpine shaded aspects. Loose wet slides are likely below treeline in the late afternoon (particularly with direct sun). Facets buried beneath February's multiple windslabs may still produce thin slabs.
Avalanche Summary
A road patrol Sunday noted solar aspects treeline and below have been producing loose wet avalanches to size 1 for several days. An isolated large avalanche (size 2.5) which occurred on a steep rock slab, on a NE aspect in the alpine (2500m) had slid in the last few days. The dimensions of this slab were 300m wide by 100cm deep.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain on Wednesday
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.