Strong winds and 5-10cm of snow will keep the hazard elevated for the next few days.
SW winds will ramp up to strong Friday afternoon, creating new wind slabs in alpine and exposed treeline terrain. Any new slab development will add to the previous ones formed last week. If initiated, these slabs may step down to the deeper weak layers.
Weak layers exist near the snowpack's base, consisting of surface hoar and facets. If initiated, these can cause larger avalanches and potentially run further than expected to below treeline in gully features.
Lake Louise ski patrol remote triggered a size 1.5. The feature was at treeline and was a reloaded bed surface from a previous avalanche. No other avalanches were observed, but visibility was poor for most of the day.
Wind slabs are prevalent from previous strong winds. Last week's storm snow at treeline settled to 20-40cm. A rain crust up to 7cm thick exists within the storm snow as high as 2300. It has been observed to be more prevalent in the southern part of the region. This all overlies the deep persistent weak layers, consisting of surface hoar and basal facets. Treeline depths range from 50-80cm.
Click here for the snow profile done on Tuesday in the Dolomite peak area.
Up to 10cm should fall by Friday morning. Snow will stop on Friday morning, winds will increase to 60kmh from the southwest, and temperatures will start in the -10 to -12C range, warming over the day. Friday night into Saturday will see extreme winds and no snow.
For more information, click Mountain Weather Forecast.
