Storm snow is not expected to bond well to the underlying surface hoar and crust layers. Watch for signs of increasing avalanche hazard through the day.
Weather Forecast
An Additional 5cm of snow, alpine high of -7C and SW winds moderate gusting to strong are the forecast for today. Precipitation will slow tonight while moderate SW winds continue. Look for a drying trend through Sunday/Monday.
Snowpack Summary
20cm of storm snow in the last 48hrs with light to moderate South wind. Storm snow will hide underlying wind slab in the alpine, a crust on steep solar aspects, and large surface hoar in sheltered areas. The Nov 21 persistent weak layer is down ~180cm.
Avalanche Summary
One size 2 avalanche off of the north face of Mount MacDonald on January 17th, no new back country observations.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.