A slow start to the season in the far South! With the 30cm we had at Little Prairie now becoming rain soaked, it is probably best not to bring out the skis just yet. Regular Avalanche Bulletins will begin December 4rth.
Weather Forecast
We are expecting a quick plunge into the deep freeze Saturday with the passage of a powerful cold front late Friday. The freezing level looks like it will stay high until this occurs bringing up to 35cm above treeline and likely depositing about 20 cm over crusts when everything freezes. Strong Westerly winds can be expected with this feature.
Snowpack Summary
We are well below normal values for this time of the year with 30cm at Little Prairie. Above treeline the snowpack is reaching threshold values in only isolated locations with accumulations that began mid October. Warm periods have created crusts through November. Today's rain looks to have soaked to the snow to about 2100m.
Avalanche Summary
The rain has caused many very small loose wet events at treeline.
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.