Regions
Northwest Inland.
Watch for freshly formed small wind slabs on lee features below ridgetops.
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries / Strong southwesterly ridgetop winds / Freezing level rising to around 1000 m.SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud / Light to moderate southerly ridgetop winds / Freezing level rising to around 1200 m.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud / Light to moderate southwesterly ridgetop winds / Freezing level rising to around 1500 m.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported in this region on Thursday.
Snowpack Summary
Expect to find sun crusts on steep solar aspects. The old wind slabs created last weekend are faceting and becoming less reactive to human triggers.A crust/surface hoar layer buried mid-January is now roughly 80-140 cm below the surface, and still has the potential to be triggered from a thin snowpack spot, or with a large trigger like a cornice fall.It is unlikely, but may be possible to trigger very large avalanches on facets at the bottom of the snowpack in steep, rocky, and shallow snowpack areas or with large triggers.
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.