A thin rain crust is helping to keep wind slabs in check at lower elevations, but they may remain touchy in the alpine - especially if the sun hits them.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
We're in a steady pattern with no snow, some sunshine and seasonal temperatures until Sunday afternoon, when it will start to get warm. FRIDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods and no new snow. Winds light gusting to moderate from the west. Freezing level 200m and alpine temperatures to -2 Celcius. SATURDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods and no new snow. Winds light to moderate from the south. Freezing level 700m and alpine temperatures to -1 Celcius. SUNDAY: Cloudy with a chance of flurries. Winds light westerly. Freezing level rising throughout the day to 1500m.
Avalanche Summary
No new observed.
Snowpack Summary
The mountains of the South Coast region received 15-20cm of snow over Sunday and Monday. The southwest flow of the storm, followed by strong northeast winds on Tuesday resulted in pockets of wind slab being formed on all aspects in exposed areas. A thin rain crust can be found 5cm below the surface at treeline and below. This has limited the wind redistribution at lower elevations. The new wind slabs have already gained considerable strength but could remain reactive on steeper unsupported terrain at higher elevations where this crust does not exist. The new snow came in wet and heavy (especially in the North Shore mountains) and bonded well to 15 cm of settling snow from last Friday's storm. The mid and lower snowpack are well settled and stable.
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.