Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Wednesday

Synopsis: A ridge builds into the region Monday followed by a moderate system Tuesday night. A strong zonal flow sets up in the wake of the Tuesday night storm.Monday: Freezing Level: 1300m. Precip: 2/4mm – 2/6cm Wind: Light, SE.Tuesday: Freezing Level: 1600m Precip: 10/15mm – 10/25cm (overnight) Wind: Strong, SWWednesday: Freezing Level: 1800m Precip: Convective flurries. Wind: Light, South.

No new avalanches reported Saturday. Previously, wet-loose avalanches up to Size 2.5 were running naturally on solar aspects when the sun was out.

It's still winter up above 1700 or so. At upper elevations 15-25cm of new snow is covering a crust or wet snow. In some places in the alpine and at treeline this new snow may have buried a recently formed layer of surface hoar or facets. At lower elevations (below 1700m) rain has made the snow surface wet or moist. New snow combined with wind have made large cornices even bigger.The March 10th surface hoar/crust interface is buried more than 100cm in most places. Although unlikely to trigger, this deep persistent weakness remains a concern because of the potential for very large avalanches particularly with heavy triggers such as cornice falls or lighter triggers on solar aspects where the crust is more prevalent. Below this the snowpack is strong and well settled.