Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Northwest Inland.
Strong wind will cause heightened avalanche danger at upper elevations. Be careful around freshly wind-loaded slopes.
Confidence
Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the speed, direction, or duration of the wind and its effect on the snowpack.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with isolated flurries bringing trace amounts of snow, 40-50 km/h wind from the east, treeline temperatures drop to -18 C.
TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, no significant precipitation, 40-60 km/h wind from the northeast, treeline temperatures around -14 C.
WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, no precipitation, 20 km/h wind from the east, treeline temperatures around -12 C.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny, no precipitation, 20-30 km/h wind from the east, treeline temperatures around -10 C.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches were reported on Sunday and reports from Saturday were limited to small dry loose avalanches in steep rocky terrain. On Friday we received some observations of an avalanche cycle that occurred during last week's storm with some very large slab avalances (up to size 3).
Snowpack Summary
10 to 50 cm of recent snow has been blown into wind slabs, first from south/southwest wind and more recently from northeast wind. Below this snow, a hard melt-freeze crust is found. In some of the snowier places in the region, you may find as much as 80 cm over this crust.
Cornices are very large and exposure to them should be minimized, especially during warm or windy weather.
Terrain and Travel
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
- Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
20 to 50 cm of recent storm snow now rests on a crust. Winds from the south/southwest, and more recently the northeast, have formed wind slabs which are expected to be most problematic near ridgetops.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2