Regions
South Coast Inland.
Avalanche hazard is generally decreasing. However, uncertainty still exists regarding the reactivity of a buried weak layer that has been most prevalent on shady aspects, at treeline elevations.
Weather Forecast
TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy / Light, northwesterly winds / Low 1 C / Freezing level 1000 m with possible inversion.WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy / Light, northwesterly winds / High 2 C / Freezing level 900 m with possible inversion.THURSDAY: Cloudy / Moderate, southwesterly winds / High 0 C / Freezing level 900 m.FRIDAY: Snow, 5-10 cm / Strong, southwesterly winds / High -3 C / Freezing level 800 m.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches were reported in the region on Monday.
Snowpack Summary
On the snow surface, you will likely find a melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects to the top of the mountain and wind affected snow in the alpine. Small wind slabs may exist in lee terrain features formed by recent west winds.Around 30 to 50 cm of snow sits on a melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects, a crust below around 1700 m on all aspects, and feathery surface hoar in areas sheltered by the wind at all elevation bands. The surface hoar may be most pronounced on west, north, and east aspects between 1700 m and 2000 m.Below this, the snowpack is generally well-settled and strong in most locations.
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.