Confidence
Fair - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
The weekend looks mostly dry, then a warm storm bringing light to moderate precipitation arrives on Monday.Saturday and Sunday: Flurries possible with little accumulation. Winds Moderate NW'ly at ridgetop. Treeline temperatures around -5C.Monday: A weak storm is expected to arrive late in the day bringing around 5-10 mm preciptation. There will be some warming, but freezing levels in this region look as though they will stay below 1200 m. Strong SW winds are expected.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack depths vary greatly across the region with 130cm reported at treeline in the Northern Cascades but only 50 cm along the Duffy. In general, the snowpack across the region is significantly thinner than average for this time of year. Terrain below treeline is still mostly below threshold for avalanche activity.15-20 cm new snow now sits on a generally well consolidated snowpack. Previous weak interfaces within the snowpack appear generally well bonded and have been unreactive to recent snowpack tests. In the alpine, strong S and SW winds have redistributed the recent storm snow creating wind slabs in leeward features and wind scoring on windward slopes.Early season riding hazards such as rocks, stumps and logs are lurking below the surface at treeline elevations and below.
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.