Regions
Northwest Inland.
Keep an eye out for storm slabs and wind slabs in steep alpine terrain.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with light winds. Flurries. Alpine temperature near -20.THURSDAY: Cloudy with moderate south-westerly winds. 3-5 cm snow. Alpine temperature near -20.FRIDAY: Cloudy with moderate to strong south-westerly winds. 5-10 cm snow. Alpine temperature near -20.
Avalanche Summary
A few size 1- 1.5 storm slabs and loose dry avalanches were reported on Monday between 1250 and 1600 m.
Snowpack Summary
Around 20-30 cm snow overlies various surfaces including a freezing rain crust (which was reported as being hard in the alpine and breakable below treeline), old sun crusts and wind slabs. A variable weak layer that formed in mid-December can be found in the upper snowpack. This mid-December layer is comprised of crusts on solar aspects and feathery surface hoar in sheltered locations.The lower snowpack is generally well settled with two prominent crusts. The late-November crust can be found 30-50 cm below the surface and the October crust is near the base of the snowpack.
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.