Today is a transitional period for the weather as the approaching front will bring increasing temperatures with moderate to heavy amounts of precipitation. This will cause avalanche hazard to increase.
Weather Forecast
Significant temperature increase over the next 36 hours, freezing level up to 1800m later today and up to 2000m or higher on Tuesday. Moderate to heavy amounts of precipitation expected, possibly falling as rain.
Snowpack Summary
15-20cm of recent storm snow is over the Dec 5 surface hoar/facet layer and sun crust on steep solar aspects. This new snow sits over a breakable crust below 1600m. The Nov 21 and Nov 9 persistent weak layers are buried down ~100 and ~130cm. Snowpack tests indicate triggering the Nov 21 layer as less likely but fracture character is sudden planar.
Avalanche Summary
Small avalanches running to the beginning of runouts.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
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.
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.