Regions
South Coast Inland.
Wind slabs at upper elevations are the primary concern. A cool and clear weather pattern is expected for the coming days.
Confidence
High - The weather pattern is stable
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY: Mainly sunny / light east wind / alpine temperature -10 CMONDAY: Mainly sunny / light to moderate east wind / alpine temperature -9 CTUESDAY: A mix of sun and cloud / light to moderate east wind / alpine temperature -7 C
Avalanche Summary
On Thursday and Friday, wind slabs up to size 1.5 were reported to be reactive to human triggers on all aspects at treeline and in the alpine. These wind slabs failed on older firm surfaces and facets approximately 20-50 cm down.
Snowpack Summary
10-20 cm of low density snow now sits over a variety of old surfaces including firm wind affected snow, sun crusts on steep solar aspects and surface hoar and faceted crystals in sheltered areas. Strong northeast wind from earlier this week formed pockets of wind slab in exposed terrain. In some instances wind slabs have been reported to be failing on a sugary faceted layer down 20-50 cm.The lower snowpack is generally well-settled.
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.